Ferhat Tunc
Encyclopedia
Ferhat Tunç is a Zaza
musician from Turkey
.
The Turkish kurdish Alevi
singer Ferhat Tunç was born in 1964 in the city of Tunceli, in Turkey's eastern Province
of Tunceli (Dersim)
.
While Ferhat Tunç was in primary school, his father lived in Germany
as a so-called "Gastarbeiter
" (immigrant labour invited by the German government). During high school he often performed as a singer at events of left-wing organisations. In 1974, he played his first performance to a full house at "Arkadas-Sinema" of Tunceli.
In the 1970s Tunceli was ridden by political conflicts between a group called "The Grey Wolves
", the police and the army on the one side and students, workers and left wing intellectuals on the other side. Against this background in 1979 Ferhat Tunç emigrated to Germany upon graduating from high school. In 1982, while in Germany, Ferhat Tunç recorded his debut album 'Kizilirmak' in a small sound studio in Bremen
. In the same year he was introduced to the American musician Darnel Sumers with whom he set up his first band, along with three German and one Greek friend. The impressions from this new period of his life flew into his album 'Bu Yürek Bu Sevda Var Iken' which was released in 1984.
He started taking training lessons as a singer, but already after six months he abandoned the vocalist studies and instead went on tour in Germany with his band. He gave many concerts for an audience consisting of mainly Turkish and Kurdish people living in Germany. During this period he learned that if he were to return to Turkey, he could expect to be persecuted by the military government for his political activities, especially since the political situation after the military coup on 12 September 1980 had become increasingly violent and repressive
Even so, in 1985 Ferhat Tunç returned to Turkey for the first time since he had left his home country in 1979. As soon as he arrived he was arrested and brought to the prison camp DAL in Ankara
. He was released after two weeks. Some of Ferhat Tunç's lyrics are written in the language of the Zaza
and Kurmanci
, which are regarded as languages of the Kurds. Though some claim Zaza's are more related to Turkic tribes from Asia Minor
. His concerts has often become meetings of the kurdish resistance movement. He has supported strikes of the working class, the democratization of Turkey, the environmentalism and the free university of Istanbul, which practices critical teachings and research. He is also an active member of IHD
, an association for human rights. His apparent oppositional attitude caused several arrests and long series of trials in the following years. In 2006 he went on tour to feature songs from his album entitled 'Ateşte sınandık' throughout Turkey. The concerts were held under the theme title 'Songs for Peace'. Since 2003 Ferhat Tunç has been working together with the film-maker Umur Hozatli on the film 'Perperik', which tells the story about a person's life as a Kurd in Turkey. This will be the first full-length feature film which is only in the kurdish language.
Zaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan , Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus,...
musician from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The Turkish kurdish Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
singer Ferhat Tunç was born in 1964 in the city of Tunceli, in Turkey's eastern Province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Tunceli (Dersim)
Tunceli Province
The Tunceli Province is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The province was named Dersim Province and was changed to Tunceli Province on January 4, 1936. with the "Law on Administration of the Tunceli Province" , no...
.
While Ferhat Tunç was in primary school, his father lived in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as a so-called "Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter
Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...
" (immigrant labour invited by the German government). During high school he often performed as a singer at events of left-wing organisations. In 1974, he played his first performance to a full house at "Arkadas-Sinema" of Tunceli.
In the 1970s Tunceli was ridden by political conflicts between a group called "The Grey Wolves
Grey Wolves
The Idealist Youth , commonly known as Grey Wolves , is an ultra-nationalist neo-fascist youth organization. It is accused of terrorism. According to Turkish authorities, the organization carried out 694 murders between 1974–1980.-Name:...
", the police and the army on the one side and students, workers and left wing intellectuals on the other side. Against this background in 1979 Ferhat Tunç emigrated to Germany upon graduating from high school. In 1982, while in Germany, Ferhat Tunç recorded his debut album 'Kizilirmak' in a small sound studio in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. In the same year he was introduced to the American musician Darnel Sumers with whom he set up his first band, along with three German and one Greek friend. The impressions from this new period of his life flew into his album 'Bu Yürek Bu Sevda Var Iken' which was released in 1984.
He started taking training lessons as a singer, but already after six months he abandoned the vocalist studies and instead went on tour in Germany with his band. He gave many concerts for an audience consisting of mainly Turkish and Kurdish people living in Germany. During this period he learned that if he were to return to Turkey, he could expect to be persecuted by the military government for his political activities, especially since the political situation after the military coup on 12 September 1980 had become increasingly violent and repressive
Even so, in 1985 Ferhat Tunç returned to Turkey for the first time since he had left his home country in 1979. As soon as he arrived he was arrested and brought to the prison camp DAL in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. He was released after two weeks. Some of Ferhat Tunç's lyrics are written in the language of the Zaza
Zazaki language
Zazaki is an Indo-European language spoken primarily in eastern Turkey. According to Ethnologue, the language is a part of the northwestern group of the Iranian section of the Indo-European family. Zazaki shares many features, structures, and vocabulary with Gorani, Talyshi and other Caspian...
and Kurmanci
Kurmancî
Kurmancî can refer to:Peoples:* Kurmancî , an Iranian language group spoken in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.* Kurmanc , Kurds who speak the Kurmanc dialect or group of dialects.Names:...
, which are regarded as languages of the Kurds. Though some claim Zaza's are more related to Turkic tribes from Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. His concerts has often become meetings of the kurdish resistance movement. He has supported strikes of the working class, the democratization of Turkey, the environmentalism and the free university of Istanbul, which practices critical teachings and research. He is also an active member of IHD
Human Rights Association (Turkey)
The Human Rights Association is an NGO for advancing Human rights in Turkey, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ankara.- History :...
, an association for human rights. His apparent oppositional attitude caused several arrests and long series of trials in the following years. In 2006 he went on tour to feature songs from his album entitled 'Ateşte sınandık' throughout Turkey. The concerts were held under the theme title 'Songs for Peace'. Since 2003 Ferhat Tunç has been working together with the film-maker Umur Hozatli on the film 'Perperik', which tells the story about a person's life as a Kurd in Turkey. This will be the first full-length feature film which is only in the kurdish language.
Discography
- "Kızılırmak" in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1982) - "Bu Yürek Bu Sevda Var İken" in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1984) - "Vurgunum Hasretine" (1986)
- "Ay Işığı Yana Yana" (1987)
- "Yaşam Direnmektir" (1988)
- "İstanbul Konserleri-1" (1988)
- "Vuruldu" (1989)
- "Gül Vatan" (1990)
- "Ateş Gibi" (1991)
- "İstanbul Konserleri-2" (1992)
- "Firari Sevdam" (1993)
- "Özlemin Dağ Rüzgarı" (1994)
- "Kanı Susturun" (1995)
- "Kayıp" (1997)
- "Kavgamın Çiçeği" (1999)
- "Her Mevsim Bahardır" (2000)
- "Şarkılarım Tanıktır" (2002)
- "Nerdesin Ey Kardeşlik" (2003)
- "Sevmek Bir Eylemdir" (2005)
- "Ateşte Sınandık" (2006)
- "Çığlıklar Ülkesi" (2009)
- "Listen To The Banned" (2010)
Honor
- 3 March World Freemusic Award winner by Censorship of musicCensorship of musicCensorship of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. This censorship may stem from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, military or religious reasons. Censorship can range from the complete government-enforced legal prohibition of a musical work, to...
- in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Royal Institute of British ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
,25 March 2010