A planned concert by the Kurdish folk band Koma Amed in İstanbul on Dec 20 was blocked just hours before it was set to begin by the Küçükçekmece District Governor’s Office.
The group, whose members have lived abroad since the late 1990s due to political reasons, had returned to the stage for the first time in many years on Oct 25 in Diyarbakır. Their İstanbul concert was scheduled to take place at the Yahya Kemal Beyatlı Performance Center in Küçükçekmece.
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Koma Amed announced the cancellation on its social media account, citing bureaucratic hurdles:
“The concert we were to hold on Dec 20 at the Yahya Kemal Beyatlı Cultural Center has unfortunately been cancelled due to permit procedures. We have to postpone our meeting to another date. We will share the new concert date as soon as possible. We are sorry and apologize for all the inconvenience caused."
“We remain committed to our belief in peace. We want our songs to contribute to this process. We believe peace will offer a better future for everyone. With this hope, we look forward to meeting again soon," the group said, referencing the ongoing Kurdish peace process.
The Küçükçekmece District Governor’s Office released an official statement, saying that it had deemed the association's application for the allocation of the performance center "was not deemed appropriate.”
Organizers criticize ban
Sanatça Organization and the Mesopotamia Culture Center (MKM), which were behind the event, issued a written statement confirming the district governor's decision. They argued that the concert’s cancellation contradicted the ongoing Kurdish peace process:
“Despite all obstacles, the Peace and Democratic Society Process has led to the expansion of cultural spaces for Kurdish art. In this context, Koma Amed, who had been unable to perform in their homeland for 30 years due to bans, sang songs of freedom and peace to hundreds of thousands in Diyarbakır’s Newroz Square on Oct 25, 2025.
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“Since yesterday, all our efforts to ensure that the Koma Amed concert could proceed in İstanbul have gone unanswered. As an organization focused on Kurdish cultural and artistic events, we categorically reject this ban.
"At a time when more freedom of expression, production in one’s mother tongue, and the right to create art rooted in one’s culture are needed in the Peace and Democratic Society Process, such obstacles to free art do not serve peace.
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“It is well known that such bans and obstructions are imposed by forces outside of ‘normal’ processes. Cultural destruction against Kurdish art continues at the hands of anti-peace elements. We apologize to our community and Koma Amed listeners for this injustice. We will soon announce details about a concert in another venue.
“Finally, as Kurdish artists, we will continue singing our songs more powerfully and passionately than ever. With our songs and zılgıts, we will bring peace to this country. Peace will prevail.”
About Koma Amed
Koma Amed was formed in 1988 by students of Ankara and Hacettepe medical faculties. Founding members include Evdılmelik Şexbekir, Gülşen Çetin, Savaş Çakmak, Rohat Kutlay, Fikri Kutlay, Mustafa Kart, and Ahmet Kaya.
The group released their debut album Kulîlka Azadî in 1990. Due to difficulties finding studios willing to record Kurdish music, they shared studio space with other Kurdish bands of the time, including Koma Mezrabotan, Koma Çiya, Vengê Sodirî, Koma Rojhilat, Koma Dengê Azadî, Koma Rewşen, Koma Gulen Xerzan, Mizgîna Sor, Koma Azad, and Agire Jîyan, often working with the same arrangers and musicians.
After releasing their 1997 album Dergûş, some members sought asylum in Germany for political reasons, leading to the group’s dissolution.
(TY/VK)
