AKP municipalities tone down the volume on Kurd-Pop in Turkey
Cultural events, from Kurdish-language concerts to performances of daring female stars in mini dresses, become the targets of a proxy war between the nationalist-conservatives and liberals.
“Please attend the concert of Aynur Dogan on May 28 in Istanbul,” Fazil Say, a prominent Turkish pianist, tweeted to his 650,000 followers. “No artist in Turkey should have to face archaic bans.”
Say was responding to increasing pressures on the Istanbul municipality to cancel the award-winning Kurdish-Turkish singer’s concert this weekend. The calls come from ruling party deputies, pro-government papers and threatening trolls, who accuse Dogan of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
