ISTANBUL - Stating that the government wanted to make people forget what they had done in the past with the festivals it held in Kurdistan, MKM artist Engin Cengiz said: "Assimilation continued with the arbitrary ban of Kurdish concerts."
The government's assimilation policies towards Kurdish culture continue unabated. While cultural events in Kurdistan have recently been banned on the grounds of "public security", the same situation applies to concerts that are intended to be given in cities in Turkey. Aynur Doğan, Mem Ararat, Mikail Aslan, Metin–Kemal Kahraman brothers, Apolas Lermi, İlkay Akkaya and Melek Mosso are just a few of these artists whose concerts were canceled. On the other hand, while cultural activities are banned in Kurdistan, people organise festivals in cities such as Cizre, Sur, Urfa and Ağrı by the hand of trustees.
Mesopotamia Cultural Center (MKM) instructor and artist Engin Cengiz made evaluations about the assimilation policies of the state in the field of art.
ASSIMILATION POLICIES
Stating that the government is trying to put under social pressure by targeting the language of the Kurdish people with the assimilation policies it has been pursuing for years, Artist Cengiz said: "There is a historical 'code' in the banning of Kurdish music and language. The process has come to the point of 'spying' children at school. However, it was thought that there would be progress in this regard. But they went back to their historical codes."
PROHIBITIONS
Stating that the government has a 'hypocritical' policy towards Kurdish, Cengiz said: "The television channels that were opened for broadcasting in Kurdish for a while. If it works for me, I will accept it, if it is not under my control, I will ban it. This is a qualitative situation. Unfortunately, they act so relaxed when there are not many objections. This displays that their old mentality still continues, especially regarding the Kurdish language and the Kurdish people. And there is no law to prevent it. In this country, nobody really cares about the law. But at least there is a law, we have the right to object."
'KURDS WILL NOT GIVE UP THEIR IDENTITY'
Cengiz said: "Kurds will not give up their identity because their concerts are banned. I am speaking especially for the Kurdish people, as a member of the Kurdish society. We have already passed a situation that will be abandoned with these prohibitions, postponed with these, and lost. Now the society is conscious, political, has a political line, adheres to its values under all conditions and keeps itself alive. So this is a futile effort.”