Concert bans continue in Turkey 'to protect public safety, morality'
Click to read the article in Turkish (1) (2) (3) / Kurdish
All the concerts expected to be held at the Middle East Technical University (METU) yesterday (May 25) at 34th METU International Spring Festival have been canceled by the rector of the university.
Musician Burhan Şeşen announced the decision of the university administration on Twitter.
"Concerts to be held tonight at METU have been canceled by the rectorate. All the efforts of the International Youth Community that organized the concert have been gone in vain. Students have worked hard for a year to organize these events. This is the result. Anyone who takes this decision and turns a blind eye to it is clearly BAD," wrote Şeşen.
Bu gençlere yazık değil mi?Senenin yorgunluğunu atmak için müzik dinlemeleri dans etmeleri suç mu? Batsın ve bitsin şu müzik yasakları. @odtuogrencileri @hayatinsesiniac @METU_ODTU pic.twitter.com/1JjgOPmHIr
— Burhan Şeşen (@burhansesen) May 25, 2022
The reason for the cancellation was announced as follows by the rector's office:
"We wish God's mercy on our soldiers who were martyred in Operation Claw Lock, patience for their families, and fast recovery to our wounded soldiers. Concerts to be held on May 25 have been canceled due to this sad news that deeply saddens us all."
"Public safety"
Another concert was banned in Bursa. The Governor's Office banned the concert of Kurdish musician Mem Ararat, which was due to take place on May 29.
Ararat announced on his Twitter account that the concert, to be held at Bursa Merinos Atatürk Congress and Culture Center, had been banned by a written decision of the Governor's Office only 3 days before the date of the event.
"Public Safety" was proposed as the reason for the ban by the Governor's Office.
"It is a decision that is divisive and hurts the conscience of the society to ban it three days before our concert, when all the tickets have been sold, the plane tickets of the musicians have been bought, hotel reservations and all similar preparations have been completed," Ararat wrote on Twitter.
Ji bo raya giştî… pic.twitter.com/SAj9mbU4S6
— Mem Ararat (@araratmemm) May 26, 2022
"Public morality"
As part of the International Isparta Rose Festival, singers Melek Mosso, Derya Uluğ and Funda Arar were going to give concerts on different days. Mosso was going to take the stage at Meydan AVM on 3 June.
Musician Melek Mosso's concert was also banned today after a statement from the National Youth Foundation (MGV) and Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) Isparta Branch.
In a common statement by the two organizations, it was claimed that Isparta Municipality is organizing concerts that are "against the morals and beliefs of the society."
Mosso said the following from her social media account about the cancellation:
"I am the woman of this country. With my ideas, vision, and dreams, I continue making art every day. I have millions of fans, young and old. It is not the business of a few ignorant people to question my morals or insult my femininity. People with this mentality are trying to bring the darkness and perversion in their hearts into our lives, but I will never allow this, we will NOT... I will certainly go to Isparta and sing my songs. If not today, our hearts will hug tomorrow."
Ben bu ülkenin kadınıyım. Fikirlerimle, vizyonumla, hayallerimle her yeni gün geleceğe sanatımı işliyorum. Genci yaşlısı milyonlarca sevenim var.Bir kaç kendini bilmeze kalmadı benim ahlakımı sorgulamak,kadınlık onuruma laf atmak. Bu zihniyetteki insanlar kendi yüreklerindeki
— Melek Mosso (@MelekMosso) May 26, 2022
Throughout May, concerts by the musicians Aynur Doğan, Metin-Kemal Kahraman, Apolas Lermi, Niyazi Koyuncu and Burhan Şeşen were alse canceled.
CLICK - More concerts of protest musicians banned by AKP municipalities
CLICK - Dozens of Kurdish concerts, plays banned in Turkey in three years
(AÖ/EMK/FD/TB/VK)
