SORGUL ŞÊXO

Hesekê- The dengbêj culture is an important culture for the Kurdish people. The Kurdish people had to verbally preserve their culture throughout history because they were constantly oppressed. For this reason, the Kurdish people don't have many written sources about their history. What the Kurdish people faced in the past has been reached the present day thanks to their oral narrative tradition and the songs of dengbêjan (plural of dengbêj).

A song can change a destiny. For this reason, the Kurdish mothers listen to the songs of dengbêjan such as Eyşe Şan and Cane to remember the old days. Semira Şukeri living in the Til Temir district of Hesekê is one of these mothers.

“The Syrian regime didn’t allow women”

Semira Şukeri dreamed of being a dengbêj when she was a child but she couldn’t realize her dream due to the patriarchal mentality. She took to the stage twice when she was young, “but I faced pressure from the Syrian regime. The patriarchal mentality and Syrian regime didn’t allow female dengbêjan to sing songs. But we never gave up and we even participated in a theater group.”

“Many female artists became victims of the patriarchal mentality”

Semira Şukeri loves the songs of Ayşe Şan, a Kurdish dengbêj. “Many female artists became victims of the patriarchal mentality and society. Ayşe Şan was one of these women. There are many unknown Kurdish dengbêjan such as Ayşe Şan, Xelil Xemgin, Zozan, and Cane. When the Kurdish Freedom Movement developed, the artists began to express their feelings and sing their songs in front of the masses. Despite all the obstacles, they had the opportunity to do this freely. Kurdish artists keep the Kurdish memories alive. The Kurds become more conscious thanks to the Kurdish art,” she told us.

They listened to the radio together

In the past, Kurdish people gathered around a radio to listen to the songs sung by dengbêjan. “I cannot tell how those days were good with any words. We listened to the songs very carefully. We tried to finish our works earlier to listen to the songs. Many mothers and fathers cried while listening to the songs. I always listened to dengbêjan.”