Sunday, May 4, 2008

Nightingale of Amed (new edit)



This is a short documentary of Seyidxan Boyaci, the Dengbej of Amed. New footage from last summer (2007). His voice is still amazing at 75 plus, but he's been ailing. He came to Diyarbekir after losing his parents at the age of 5, worked as a shoe shiner, walked the streets, endured lonliness, and hunger. He remembers when the streets were so peaceful they were full of storks, and later when the Turkish army occupied the mosques of the city. He was once told by authorities that if he sang inside the city walls they would cut out his tongue, and he laughs when he remembers this, and then begins to sing one more klam.

2 comments:

Hevallo said...

Thank you for this. It is sooo beautiful! I am going to post it on my blog if you don't mind. I'll also add your blog address to my links section.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for these interviews, Emrah, they not only fascinating but also highly instructive. They document how ordinary people experienced the anti-Kurdish cultural measures by the Young Turk regime. Good work!