Adana governor bans Kurdish adaptation of Molière play

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

The Adana Governor's Office canceled a theater play by the Amed City Theater, which was a Kurdish adaptation of Molière's "Tartuffe."

The decision based on Law No. 5442 on Provincial Administration was given because the play would "disrupt the peace and security within the borders of the province."

The same play will be staged in Mersin, a province adjacent to Adana, as its governor permitted it.

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Speaking to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Suat Tekin, the organizer of the events, said, "Normally, there is no requirement for permission from the governor's office in hall events. However, the Cultural Directorate of the CHP's [the main opposition Republican People's Party] insistently told us, 'You'll get permission from the governor's office. Otherwise, we won't let you stage the play.'

"I applied to the Adana Governor's Office for permission. The governor's office called the Security Branch [police]. And they called me and asked, 'Is your play in Turkish or Kurdish?' I asked them, 'Does it matter?' They told me, 'No problem, get your paper's from the governor's office.' You'll get your answer there. [The governor's office] said 'It was not found appropriate.' The decision for ban is a sign of intolerance towards Kurdish."

Since early May, several concerts and theater plays in Kurdish, as well as concerts by some dissident musicians, have been canceled by municipalities and governors in various parts of the country.

(RT)