ZEYNEP AKGÜL

Ankara- Percussionist Dilan Yeşilyaprak, who was born in Sürgücü village of Mardin province of Turkey, was forcibly displaced to first Diyarbakir and then İzmir in 1997 due to political reasons. We interview Yeşilyaprak, who spent most of her childhood in İzmir and has lived in İstanbul for 10 years, about her musical story and how the restrictions and prohibitions on the Kurdish language affect her music.

· How did your musical journey start?

I spent my childhood in the neighborhoods of Izmir where mostly Alevis and Kurds live. Music, particularly baglama (a stringed musical instrument) is very important in the Alevi culture. I met baglama when I was in primary school thanks to them and I started to take baglama courses. I also took folk dance courses. My family always supported me about my education despite their limited financial condition.

· Is there always percussion in your journey? Do you play other instruments?

My musical journey started first with stringed musical instruments, particularly baglama. The percussion joined my journey much later. I have been playing percussion instruments for the last ten years. The percussion instruments consist of hundreds of musical instruments. So I don’t have time to learn other instruments except for percussion instruments. I am still trying to learn new rhythm instruments and techniques.

· The world of music, like many other fields, is under male-dominated power. In one of your interviews, you said, “Although being stateless is one of the obstacles to perform Kurdish music, being a woman is a bigger obstacle.” What kinds of challenges do you face as a woman?

Being a woman is hard all over the world but surely for women having no state, it is harder. You are being exploited both nationally and sexually. I have heard some dialogues comparing the national struggle with the women's struggle, and this discomforts me a lot. First, an order of priority is formed, then the order is sacred, and the importance is given from one to the other. What we address in women’s struggle is patriarchal. The extermination of women by men is as old as the Kurdish national struggle. The reason why I personally perform Kurdish music is nationally, the reason why I give lessons especially to women is to be a part of the fight against gender exploitation.

“Performing Kurdish music has been always difficult!”

· The escalation of the oppressive climate in Turkey again, the arrest of Kurdish politicians, the prohibition of cultural and artistic activities after the mayors were dismissed has also an effect on music. How do restrictions and prohibitions on the Kurdish language affect your music?

I am 28 years old now. I grew up with the restrictions and prohibitions. Something was always forbidden for us. The agenda doesn't affect my music too much because we never have very big stages to perform, sponsors, or technical opportunities. Performing music was difficult from the beginning and it is always difficult for us.

We try to exist more on digital platforms. Kurdish music does not have a large market area. Therefore, of course, we have financial troubles. But this does not affect my motivation or my music. On the contrary, it is even appetizing to produce new things. On the contrary, this encourages me to produce new things. I can see the number of listeners of Kurdish music increases day by day. And this makes me happy a lot.

“Kurds are a nation that has been subjected to all kinds of violence by their colonialists”

· With the use of modern / Western instruments, a new space has been formed in Kurdish music. What kind of impact, development, and change do you think the instruments you use contribute to the world of Kurdish music?

Every instrument now has a very important place in all kinds of music. Contribution to Kurdish music, I am at the very beginning of my journey. But I think I can say this; like all colonial systems, the Kurds are a nation that has been subjected to all kinds of violence by their colonialists. The Kurds were subjected to a serious attack particularly in the culture and arts area.

Musicians remain distant from traditional Kurdish musical instruments. They mostly want to give a place to Western musical instruments, but they do this not to create a piece of synthesis music, but rather because they find their own music inadequate. When they demand to have percussion courses, they want to learn more western percussion instruments; they make fun of Kurdish dances and find Argentine folk dances much more attractive. Maybe I have taken a step to show that today’s modern music can be performed by using traditional Kurdish music instruments. I hope I can do more.

“I love to listen to Kurdish rap these days”

· What kinds of music do you listen to?

I listen to all kinds of music. I want to know everything new and I also want to learn more about old music. I regularly listen to different styles of music in different languages every day. Listening to music is a regular practice for musicians. But if you ask me what I particularly enjoy listening to these days, I can say it is rap music. The recent development in Kurdish rap excites me. For example, I like listening to Serhado. I can listen to him every day without getting bored. I would love to perform with him.

“My goal is to make an album of rhythm instruments”

· Last question: do you have any new projects you are working on right now?

I have a workshop in Taksim where I only teach women how to play percussion instruments. I gave free online lessons to many women during the period of curfews imposed due to the Covid-19. I gave a free online lesson to create a space for women as much as I could at a time when femicide and domestic violence were on the rise and to support more women to play the percussion instruments, which is seen as male instruments.

When the lockdown was lifted, I met with these women. We have been working on rhythm instruments together for about five months. My biggest dream is to give concerts all over the world with an all-women percussion group. I want to change the stereotype that says playing percussion instruments, requiring physical force, is men’s occupation. Surely, I have male students, too. But I want to give all of my strength, power, and energy to women right now,

I also have my own projects. I haven’t started them yet. I am also planning to make an album by playing rhythm instruments.  I have another project with the Kurdish santoor instrument player Kajin Dara. We have started recording our songs. One of them will be shared on all digital platforms very soon.