DIYARBAKIR, Turkey – Education in their mother tongue is a pivotal demand of Turkey’s Kurds, and peace talks between Ankara and rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan have raised hopes that it will materialize after decades of repression.

The government has so far given the cold shoulder to the demand, even though it has introduced Kurdish as an elective course in schools and launched university programs to train Kurdish language teachers. Many in Ankara worry that recognizing Kurdish as a language of education will broaden Turkey’s ethnic rift and play into the hands of separatists.

In the southeast, however, the Kurdish political movement and civic society have already mounted an all-out drive to enroot their language, bent on developing alternative education means and reviving Kurdish culture. Volunteerism is vibrant, with Kurds from all walks of life doubling as activists, teachers, writers or publishers. The Kurdi-Der Association, whose branches have mushroomed across the region, is leading a well-organized campaign to teach Kurds their mother tongue, which they were banned even from speaking until the early 1990s.

In Diyarbakir, the regional center, a civic foundation grouping prominent figures has launched a bid to establish Turkey’s first Kurdish-language university. Braving frequent confrontations with the courts, local administrations held by the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) promote the concept of “multi-language services,” and sponsor kindergartens and “education support houses,” where pupils are taught in their mother tongue.