Burkay, Kemal

(1937- )

   Burkay is a Turkish Alevi Kurd who established the relatively moderate, nonviolent (Turkish) Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) in 1974. Since then, he has served as the party's general secretary. The PSK called for a Turkish-Kurdish federation. Burkay published the journal Ozgurluk Yolu (The Way to Freedom) in 1975 and the biweekly Roja Welat (Land of the Sun) newspaper in 1977. He has long opposed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) because of his opposition to armed struggle. Burkay has lived in exile in Sweden since 1980, when the new Turkish government established by the military coup withdrew his Turkish citizenship. He declined to join the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile set up largely by the PKK in 1995. Mehdi Zana, the former mayor of Diyarbakir, is a close associate. He remains active in Kurdish politics from his home in Sweden.

   Burkay is also interested in literature and has published 13 literary works, 4 translations, and 10 books on politics. His best known poem in Turkey is Gulumse (Smile). It was popularized in a song by the Turkish singer Sezen Aksu. Burkay has been married twice and has five children.