Sonny Saul, a musician and the proprietor of Pleasant Street Bookstore in Woodstock, Vermont, USA, has recently composed a piece entitled “Suite for Abdullah Öcalan.”

The International Initiative reached out to Mr. Saul for an interview following the performance of this suite, the text of which is below.

Asked how he become familiar with the ideas of Öcalan, Saul answered: "Through my son, Quincy, who attended a conference in Germany, I first heard about Öcalan. I am interested in ancient history and a couple decades ago I put together and published an illustrated, fresh English-language paraphrased version of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Quincy correctly thought that I would be especially interested in Ocalan's take on Mesopotamia, as well as his current political thinking."

Asked what does Öcalan mean to him personally, and why he is an important figure, Saul said: "Abdullah Öcalan seems to be the greatest modern historian. He recasts the subject, epitomizing the idea that the study of the past is of use, and not an idle indulgence or retreat and escape. The range and power of his thought is exceptional, as is his intellectual presence in the writing. As he says, "Beyond history, we are nothing." The importance he places upon the freedom of the individual, and first of all, today, the liberating of women, which as he writes, "is more important than any national struggle,"deserves to be acknowledged. His ideas merit all the attention we can muster."

As to what inspired him to compose this piece for Öcalan, Saul said: "I want to offer tribute, to offer my respects and profess my admiration, and to call attention to this man and his work."

Asked what sort of responses have he observed from people who were previously unfamiliar with Öcalan, Saul said: "There has been a range of responses. A few have expressed enough interest to begin to read and study! Almost none had any prior knowledge about the Kurdish struggle or about Abdullah Öcalan. It is my very fond hope that the music will awaken interest, and maybe inspire/provide impetus for people to look into Öcalan's work and to bring about his release from prison."

The full interview can be read on the International Initiative website here