Investigation into banned Kurdish theater play

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The Governor's Office of İstanbul has released a statement about the Kurdish theater play "Bêrû", which has been adapted from world-renowned writer Dario Fo's "Faceless" and was going to be staged in İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (İMM) City Theaters by the Teatra Jiyana Nû (New Life Theater) theater groups if it had not been banned by the Sub-Governor's Office of Gaziosmanpaşa district yesterday (October 13).

While the theater group previously stated that it would take legal action against the ban, the Governor's Office of İstanbul has announced that an investigation has been launched into the play.

"The theater play has been was banned by our Gaziosmanpaşa Sub-Governor's Office not because it is in Kurdish," the statement of the Governor's Office has read and added, "No matter in which language, Turkish, Kurdish or any other language, terror propaganda is forbidden by our laws and such initiatives cannot be permitted in any way."

Referring to the "works undertaken to reveal and prevent the activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party / Kurdish Communities Union (PKK/KCK) terrorist organizations," the Governor's Office has stated:

"Our security forces have detected that the entire plot of the -so-called- 'Beru: Klakson Borizan Birt' theater play of the theater group named Teatra Jiyana Nü (New Life Theater) addressing the State and Terror Relations has been formed in such a way to turn it into a terror propaganda of the PKK against our country. It is utterly unacceptable that a theater play is turned into the propaganda of the PKK terrorist organization.

"An investigation has been launched into the issue."

A play by Dario Fo

After the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) City Theaters made an announcement to support private theater groups amid pandemic and the TJN applied with two theater plays. "Bêrû" (Faceless) by Dario Fo from Italy was approved by the Theaters and it was planned to be staged in Gaziosmanpaşa Theater Hall of the City Theaters.

Translated into Kurdish by Dilawer Zera, directed by Nazmi Karaman and performed by Rugeş Kırıcı, Ömer Şahin, Rewşan Apaydın and Cihat Ekinci, this theater play would have marked the first Kurdish theater play to be staged in the City Theatres in their 106 years of history if it had not been banned by the sub-governor's office.

Banned by the Gaziosmanpaşa Sub-Governor's Office "because it could disturb public order," the Kurdish theater play "Bêrû" adapted from Dario Fo's work has been staged in Kurdish for over 100 times since 2017.

While it was staged in Turkish by the Turkey's State Theaters, it was previously staged in Kurdish with the same content in a series of provinces such as İstanbul, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Adana, Ankara and Batman. (AÖ/SD)