800 PEACE ARTISTS GIVE FULL SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S INITIATIVE
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 1 2009
Turkey
Hundreds of artists are providing their full support to Turkey’s
initiatives. Some 800 artists from various disciplines have gathered
to present a message of friendship and peace to the public, forming
the ‘Peace Artists International Art Movement’ via Facebook
Turkey has been taking important steps in domestic and foreign politics
in the past year, and issues that were regarded as taboo only a few
years ago are now being discussed increasingly openly.
Turks and Armenians, who were separated by an unseen iron curtain as
the result of the incidents that took place in 1915, have entered a new
phase thanks to the "football diplomacy" that began in September 2008.
Even though the closed border between the two countries has not yet
been opened, people have already started connecting in the social
and cultural fields.
Turkey has recently taken determined steps to solve the Kurdish
problem, which has dragged on since the 1980s. Much of the public
is still confused about the developments and is clearly unsure as to
what the initiative means.
Intellectuals, however, have largely supported the initiative even
though they occasionally criticize the government’s handling of
the opening.
The Peace Artists International Art Movement is one of the best
examples of this intellectual support. The movement, which brings
together 800 artists from various disciplines via Facebook, is
determined to express the brotherhood of people regardless of ethnic
identity in Turkey. The group aims to support each step Turkey takes
toward peace.
Reaction against Kurdish songs
Designer Ragıp İncesarı; musician Feryal Oner, a member of the band
KardeÅ~_ Turkuler; and musician Servet Kocakaya spoke to the Hurriyet
Daily News & Economic Review as representatives of the Peace Artists.
Kocakaya is a Kurdish musician. His first album "Keke" – Kurdish
for "brother" – became a hot topic and generated debate when it was
released in 1999. In the same year, the late Ahmet Kaya, a well-known
Kurdish musician, became the target of attacks because of his comments
at an award ceremony: "I will sing a Kurdish song on my album to be
released in the coming days. I will also make a video for the song."
Touching on the recent Kurdish initiative, Kocakaya said: "When I said
I felt both Turkish and Kurdish only a few years ago, they tried to
lynch me. We are at this point because politics is carried out over
identities in this country. We need to make the initiative not in
the political arena but on the street."
Veto for Kurdish, Armenian on television
In addition to Kocakaya, KardeÅ~_ Turkuler (Songs of Fraternity),
a band that strives to reflect Turkey’s diverse ethnic make-up,
has had similar difficulties with its music.
"Television channels that invited us to their program didn’t let us
sing Kurdish and Armenian songs," said band member Oner. "My generation
grew up hearing that this country belongs to Turks only.
Other ethnic identities have been ignored. … We will fight for
ourselves," she said, adding that though some say the initiatives have
succeeded in reaching their goals, this has not been necessarily true
in reality.
Call from Peace Artists
"History books taught us that we were surrounded by enemies from all
sides," said İncesarı. "We were told that we defeated the Greeks,
that the Armenians stabbed us in the back, and that the Kurds and Arabs
betrayed us. I am against the discourse of official history and say
that friends surround us on all sides. We will demonstrate this to the
Turkish people through films, exhibitions, documentaries and concerts."
On the Kurdish issue, İncesarı said the real guilt was history
on our shoulders. "In 1923, there was a plan to form an assembly
including Turkish and Kurdish deputies. But because of the nation-state
perception, the plan was abandoned. Otherwise, the Kurdish problem
would never have existed."
İncesarı also invited any interested foreign artists to also
participate in the Peace Artists: "Our doors are open to all artists
who believe in peace and friendship."