Click Here Erased: Silencing a kindergarten
Dec 23, 2025
Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur linguist and activist, shares his inspiring journey of founding Uyghur-language kindergartens to preserve his culture. He highlights the struggle of teaching Uyghur in a repressive environment where language becomes a form of resistance. Abduweli recounts his harrowing experiences of detention, where he faced brutal interrogations, and his subsequent exile. Now, he continues his fight for Uyghur rights, documenting stories and writing children's books, despite the challenges faced by his community.
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Founding A Uyghur Kindergarten
- Abduweli Ayup opened a Uyghur-language kindergarten called Nur Khan to keep his language alive for children.
- The school began with six students and quickly grew as parents shared videos and promoted it by word of mouth.
Language Builds Cultural Solidarity
- Language binds identity, memory, and collective solidarity, not just communication.
- Losing a language erodes cultural cohesion and makes organized resistance harder.
Teaching Choice, Not Obedience
- Abduweli taught children choice and independent thinking instead of rote obedience common in local schools.
- That approach helped the school grow into a wider 'mother language movement' across cities.