On Thursday night, one of the world’s most famous artists unveiled a giant new mural in New York protesting the imprisonment of a young artist in Turkey. The ‘Free Zehra Doğan’ painting by Banksy appeared on a wall on the corner of Houston Street and Bowery in East Village, and was verified as his on […]
This Friday evening, the Cyprus Islamic Association of Britain will be hosting its annual prayer night to usher in the three sacred months of Islam (‘Üç Aylar’), which concludes at the end of the month of fasting known in Turkish as Ramazan. The prayer night takes place the day after Regaip Kandili Gecesi, which […]
On Friday, 16 March, singer-songwriter Djanan Turan released a new single Dünya, dedicating it to a peaceful world for children. As part of the world premiere of Dünya’s music video on the same day, Djanan also launched a fundraising campaign for Small Projects Istanbul, which supports refugee children from Syria and Palestine now living in Turkey. […]
In this centenary year of the end of the Great War, the Gallipoli Friendship Concert featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will commemorate those who lost their lives in the 1915-16 Gallipoli Campaign, and build on the enduring legacy of friendship it inspired between Turkey and the Commonwealth nations. The programme, presented by the Yunus […]
For the past 18 months, Ediz Mahmut has been treading the boards at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. This weekend his stint as part of the ensemble on the hit musical 42nd Street comes to an end. We caught up with Ediz, who goes by the stage name of Eddie Myles, to find […]
BBC 1’s anchor food programme Saturday Kitchen dedicated a section to “the humble kebab” in advance of the British Kebab Awards, which takes place in the capital tonight. The five-minute feature had interviews with two of last year’s winners, Maz Demir, the executive chef and owner of North London fine dining restaurant Skewd who won Chef […]
When my editor asked me to pick my favourite ten songs by legendary band MFÖ in advance of their London concert on 18 March, I didn’t think it would be this hard. The band formed in 1980 – more than a decade before I was born – and they still comprise of the original […]
MFÖ have been around since the 1980s, recording some of Turkey’s biggest and most original music, including Ali Desidero and Sarı Laleler, their songs covered by countless Turkish artists. They tour regularly, but they have never quite reached our shores – until now. Finally their British fans will have the chance to see them […]
In 1977 Muharrem Özdemir was 19 and his friend just 18, both gifted Cypriot teenagers studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul when they were forcibly abducted and held captive for a day before being shot by Turkish fascists. Before his death, Muharrem’s friend had begun a portrait of him. This unfinished […]
Bedük has been rocking audiences worldwide for 15 years, but surprisingly this multi-talented Turkish artist has never performed in London. All that is set to change on Thursday when the dance musician / producer / singer takes to the stage at the O2 Academy Islington. With a capacity of just 900, Londoners will be able […]
