Music Freedom Day: Freedom for Nudem Durak!

"You can cage the singer, but not the song!"

This quote, attributed to the 32nd President of the United States, Roosevelt, in the late 19th century, reminds us of what freedom truly encompasses: That thought and spirit can never be imprisoned, and how universal language is a genuine necessity and asset. It succinctly summarizes the fact that every form of creation, labor, and intellectual power has the ability to profoundly impact and enlighten people.

Discrimination's dark and desolate aspects, and how they are shackled to minds like a chain, are something we witness around us and within our lives every day, as if watching a movie. Lack of freedom of thought, press, belief, sect, tradition, and conscience are just a few of the dominant forms of oppression visible in our country...

Music also falls victim to these prohibitions.

On March 3, we must remember and remind ourselves of the extent of the pressure, censorship, and bans in the field of music and art in our country. We must acknowledge the reality of a country where songs and concerts are banned simply because they are sung in Kurdish, where people are imprisoned or forced into exile.

We can stubbornly confront those who seek to silence music by making our voices louder. We need the echo of a loud voice, a voice raised by everyone. Take, for example, Kurdish singer Nudem Durak. In 2015, she was arrested for singing Kurdish songs and sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison for "membership in a terrorist organization."

Many renowned intellectuals, writers, musicians, and various other professionals worldwide have called for justice for Nudem Durak, who has been imprisoned now for 9 years.

Yes, today is March 3, World Music Freedom Day! Unfortunately, Turkey ranks at the top of the list of countries where art and artists are not free. Oppressive mentalities and policies that seek to homogenize everything only damage our future and our will to live together!

This grim picture that emerges is a sign that our country is increasingly being turned into a kingdom of fear. Let our voices be even louder against all forms of imposition, pressure, and censorship. The sound of music is the sound of life; let's not allow it to be muted.

On World Music Freedom Day, I want to remind you once again: Freedom for Kurdish musician Nudem Durak! (FT/AS/PE)