New York University will be presenting a talk that will explore the historical journey of Dersim (now called Tunceli), a mountainous region in eastern Anatolia with a predominantly Kizilbash Kurdish population, as it transitioned from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state. The talk will be by historian Cevat Dargin of Columbia University, who […]
For Kurds worldwide, no introduction is needed to the legendary Şivan Perwer. The 67-year-old singer-songwriter and musician from Viranşehir, Şanlıurfa, in southeast Turkiye, has been the cultural voice of his people for decades. In a career spanning over 40 years, Perwer has recorded over 20 albums, which includes many songs set to the words of […]
If you’re into live music with global roots or simply fancy listening to something different, check out the scintillating rhythms, gorgeous vocals and uplifting songs of Olcay Bayir. Originally from Turkey, this acclaimed London based singer-songwriter dips into her Anatolian heritage, performing original songs and traditional poems inspired by Turkish, Kurdish, Armenia and Greek culture. […]
One of the best known contemporary Kurdish singers, Aynur Doğan takes to the stage at London’s Barbican this weekend as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. Originally from Turkey, Aynur’s impressive voice and extraordinary musical narration represent the music heritage of her cultural roots to the world. The Amsterdam-based singer has collaborated with a […]
The number of Members of Parliament in the German National Assembly, or Bundestag, whose roots are from Turkey has increased. Preliminary results from Sunday’s General Election show there are a total of 18 MPs with Turkish and Turkish-Kurdish roots, up from 14 in 2017, the Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. Nine MPs were elected for the […]
A Turkish-Kurdish woman who came to the Netherlands as a child now has a senior role in the Dutch government. Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius was appointed State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in a government reshuffle by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday, 25 May. Born in Ankara on 18 June 1977, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has […]
Labour’s Ayten Güzel has won a local by-election for Southbury ward in the North London Borough of Enfield. Güzel beat six other candidates in the process, securing nearly 600 more votes than her nearest rival, Conservative candidate Patrick Drysdale. The election was called following the death of long-serving Labour ward councillor Chris Bond in July […]
Two British Members of Parliament have quizzed the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab over what action he is taking to help free Selahattin Demirtaş, the jailed former co-leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP, Halkların Demokratik Partisi). Patrick Grady, the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP for Glasgow North, and Labour’s Dr Rupa Huq, the MP for […]
A court in Diyarbakır has found a police officer not guilty of killing Kemal Kurkurt, a young man shot dead during the Nevruz celebrations in 2017. The Diyarbakır Seventh Heavy Penal Court acquitted the policeman, identified only by his initials Y.Ş., despite overwhelming evidence disputing the officer’s defence that he and his colleagues were trying […]
A Kurdish politician from Diyarbakır is aiming to change the law so schoolchildren can be educated in their native tongue. İmam Taşçıer, an MP for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP), has submitted a draft bill to the Turkish Parliament for Kurmanji and Zazaki, the two languages commonly spoken by Turkey’s Kurdish population, […]
