Kurdish singer Nilüfer Akbal: I will listen to the voice of my conscience in the referendum

Herire came about during your Middle East tour. Why did you prefer to do it this way rather than making your album in İstanbul?

I had returned from Europe. Business was slow. Things were just not moving along. I decided I needed to go some place where I felt I belonged. I had been invited by northern Iraq’s Ministry of Culture. I went with an organization called the Kurdish Kav. I went a second time and stayed for one month. A friend of mine introduced me to Iranian Hüseyin Şerifi and Mexher Xaleqi. Şerifi gave me Herire and Şilere gave me Pawanekani. Xaleqi has a voice like Farinelli. He could not promote himself because of the ban in Iran and exile. He is 75 years old. He is the president of an institution in Iraq. I came back with those songs. I finally finished the album four years later.

What have you encountered during this journey and in the cities you’ve traveled to? Are there things that go beyond the album?

They took us to Halabja. We went to the place with the statue of Saddam and we saw the places where people were tortured and the traces of the war. I could not speak for one week. It affected me a lot. I also went to Syria and Iran. There has been a war going on in Turkey for 30 years. In the end, I saw in one picture that no one wins in a war. It is a loss for everyone. The war should end. Rights should be obtained not by using arms but by talking and struggling on a democratic platform.

Which region is the song Herire, which mean silk fabric, from?

Herire is from Iran’s Sine city. What makes it special is that the artists I mentioned are from that place. Bahman Gobadi is from there, too. There’s something miraculous about that place.

Your album is inspired by the stories of women. Which story affected you the most?

The stories of the women are very painful. Women are still circumcised over there. They commit suicide. They are all depressed. There is a state of mind created by years of war. There are places where Saddam carried out torture. I saw one place. I asked “What is this drain?” You know how you open a drain so that water from the fountain can flow out? They used to cut off people’s heads there and they built it so the blood would drain out. Those kinds of things hurt me a lot. Right now, I am completely against war regardless of its reason. I am ready to do anything for this.

When you came back to Turkey, what were your thoughts on Turkey?

When I came back to Turkey I saw the progress that was being made. People criticize the government, but this is an 80-year-old problem. No one has brought it up before. But this government is breaking away from old habits. People are talking and expressing their ideas. We can touch previously untouchable taboos. I am not an [Justice and Development Party] AK Party supporter, but I support this process. If we miss this chance, I feel that Turkey will regress and return to the same point.

You have released your 11th album since you started your musical journey in 1987. Did you dream about making it this far?

I imagined I would be in a better place. I would have wanted hundreds of thousands of people to come to my concerts, and I would have liked to have released 20-30 albums. I do not want to be like Xaleqi, to have everything when I am 75 years old, but not the same kind of energy. Isn’t that sad? All of these are things that are out of my control. When Turkey does not make headway, we cannot make headway, either. Our situation is closely related to politics.

When you look back on the days when Kurdish music was prohibited and the days when you encountered many obstacles, how do you feel about where we are today?

There are things that still need to settle down. Kurds say they want to speak their own language, set up a radio station, a television station but they haven’t prepared the groundwork for these demands. That prevents a person from making progress. I suggest that agencies that organize concerts for Sezen Aksu, Funda Arar and all the other Turkish artists should include Kurdish artists as well. You have to be fair. While you’re getting things done here your colleague over there is unable to organize concerts and access the people. Turkish artists need to take action as well.

Has this process exhausted you? What place does it hold in your journey?

I am very exhausted. I am very exhausted. I feel like I am 60 years old. I’ve spent my life on the road and in exile. I invested any money I made on the albums. I did not make any profit. I used to get pocket money from the concerts I went to. I didn’t stay at hotels. I stayed in community centers.

You had issued a declaration demanding a new constitution after the Constitutional Court had canceled the constitutional amendment that lifted the ban on headscarves on university campuses. Do you still want a new constitution?

Yes, of course. I still want it. There is currently a new constitution on the agenda; it is being discussed. As our prime minister said, I will lend an ear to my conscience.

What do you think about the content of the constitutional amendments package to be voted on in a referendum on Sept. 12?

Nothing can be corrected all at once in Turkey. Look at the Kurdish issue. We have been discussing it for many years, but could not make any sizable progress. This, too, I believe, will change gradually, and we will be in better position. Although the package is lacking many things, I still find it a good start. I find it a right step.

On Sept. 12, you will find the opportunity to settle accounts with a mentality that banned your language and your songs for a long time. What does this signify for you?

My elder sister’s son was 7 years old. On Sept. 12, [1980], he suffered from a hernia. My elder sister wanted to take him to a hospital and went out. But the soldiers sent them back to their house, saying there was a curfew in place. And the poor child died at home. This happened in Varto. My elder sister’s husband was a teacher. They were staying in government quarters. Still, they could not do anything. Second, the dead bodies of the young Kurdish Alevi boys would be returned to their families; they were killed by torture on Sept. 12. We were kids then. We would look at them from among the legs of the adults. Their legs had been cut and were purple.

You, too, are a victim of Sept. 12.

Yes. We have experienced all these sorrows. The gravest of these sorrows hit the mothers of the Alevis and revolutionaries. Now, Alevis say, “Let us vote for the [Republican People’s Party] CHP.” This is something I cannot understand. This CHP did nothing while Alevis were incinerated in Sivas. This military said they were Alevis, but killed Alevis all the same. How can they forget about this? How can someone pursue politics just to destroy the AK Party? Some people tend to avoid supporting the good things just to beat the AK Party. This is something I find to be ignorant.

What about the attitudes of other leftist parties and organizations?

Many leftists and Alevis I know will vote “yes.” Even they will do this in an organized manner. It is a serious inconsistency for leftists to say “no.” There is a Constitution [in place] that has victimized us and a government seeking to amend it. There are fascists who oppose any change. You can make your own comment about it.

What do think about the Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP) decision to boycott the referendum, particularly considering the fact that Kurds have always demanded a new constitution and tended to support all constitutional amendments?

Those who pursue political careers in the BDP may act in that way, but I think that majority of Kurdish people will vote “yes.”

If the constitutional amendment package is approved in the referendum, are you planning to file an official complaint about your case of victimization?

I think I will do it in connection with the case of my elder sister. I told her that she should bring a lawsuit against those soldiers because her son died.

You have frequently said you want to host a talk show program on a Kurdish TV channel. Are you satisfied with your program on TRT Şeş?

I always say this to our manager: Why do we always have to accomplish the hardest thing? The audience does not know Kurdish. Guests claim to know Kurdish, but speak half-Kurdish, half-Turkish. The cameraman and the director do not know Kurdish. And I am expected to host a Kurdish program in an environment where no one knows Kurdish. Still, it is good. There is also the boycott. We cannot invite many artists to our program as guests. It will be better if we can overcome this.

What is your mission here? Apart from promoting Kurdish music and art, do you have social concerns?

I try to emphasize our common unifying features such as culture, language, beliefs, etc. I produce something and people take it. They tell me, “This land produces women like you. We are proud of you.” Even Turks say this.

What has changed in your life during these two years?

Nothing changed. I still stay in my old house in Avcılar. I still do not have a car. I still meet with my old friends. My life goes on without change. I started to discover myself. I tell myself, “You are a showman, but you didn’t know it.” I find myself entertaining.

Some of your colleagues, some people who produce Kurdish songs have gone through a difficult time because they received threats. Have you ever been threatened?

No, I have not received any threats. The Kurdish people and Kurdish politicians love me very much. The political wing’s warning to me was: “You are an important asset for us. We are afraid that you will be abused there.” And I told them: “I know what I’m doing. I have an existence, and I have ideals. Let me pursue my ideals. I shall not die before fulfilling them.” My program is watched particularly by the political wing.

You had made a request to give a concert at the Harbiye Open-air Theater. Has anyone volunteered to sponsor this concert?

I want to give concerts in many places, not only there. I would like to make a call on the concert agencies. We, too, want to sing songs at Harbiye. Why don’t you invite us to festivals? You say that İstanbul is the 2010 Capital of Culture. Which Kurdish singer took the stage there? What does culture mean? It is diversity. And there is diversity here. Why don’t you reveal it? Many Kurdish singers are capable of this. Why don’t you call them?