My identity is a wave

July 26, 2025

Arzu Geybulla reflects on her experiences as an exile who left Azerbaijan and now lives in Istanbul, Turkey. She describes the disorientation of constant movement, the sensory memories of her homeland, and the feeling of not truly belonging anywhere. As a journalist scheduled to speak at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe about human rights in Azerbaijan, she struggles with her identity and relationship to her birthplace.

Who is affected

Arzu Geybulla, a journalist from Azerbaijan living in exile
Exiles and displaced people who can't return to their homelands
Journalists facing threats to their safety in Azerbaijan
People who feel disconnected from fixed national identities ("the nomads, the non-identifiers, the black sheep")

What action is being taken

Geybulla is walking toward the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to speak on human rights and journalist safety in Azerbaijan
Geybulla is living in Istanbul as her chosen place of settlement
Geybulla is actively rejecting fixed notions of identity in favor of being defined by lived experiences

Why it matters

The article highlights the personal cost of exile for journalists and activists who speak out against authoritarian regimes
It explores the universal struggle of maintaining identity when disconnected from one's homeland
The piece examines how national identity can be politicized and used as a tool for division
It offers an alternative perspective on identity as something fluid rather than fixed to a single nation, language, or ethnicity

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices