News Center — The independent musical collective "Vengê Ma" released its new cinematic musical work titled "DEJ ÊŞ" (Pain), on the occasion of the revival of Kurdish heritage and the "Kermanshahi" lament, classified by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

The work, which comes with a poignant lyrical introduction, documents the whips and integration policies to which Kurds have been subjected throughout history, and the systematic pressures on their language and culture, in addition to their struggle for survival.

This work, which blends traditional musical instruments with modern symphonic music, sheds light through the language of music on the obstacles preventing education in the mother tongue, cultural rights, and the right to self-expression.

The "Vengê Ma" collective presents its work "DEJ ÊŞ" as a musical expression of shared pain and historical experience of the Kurdish people across different geographies, while also embodying the social resistance that emerged in the face of policies of forced displacement that targeted language, culture, geography, and identity.

"When the Tongue Is Silenced, the Strings Must Speak"

The voice of the "Kurdish tanbur" leads this artistic work, as the melodies formed from the strings of this authentic instrument carry the sorrows of the past. At the same time, these traditional sounds serve as a complete archive of cultural memory. The "Vengê Ma" collective expresses this meaning in its own words: "When the tongue is forbidden from speaking its pains, the strings of the tanbur must speak with a bitterness that shakes the earth."

The piece "DEJ ÊŞ" relies on the extension of its themes, such as a sorrow that cannot be described, suppressed voices, fear of exclusion, exile, pain, and cultural continuity. The silent symphonic structure, without words, conveys the listener to spaces of sorrow, as a bridge between traditional music and modern symphonic composition.

This musical collective does not treat the voice of the Kurdish tanbur as merely a traditional musical instrument, but rather as a tool that does not separate from the cultural memory transmitted from the past to the present. From this perspective, "DEJ ÊŞ" represents a cry and an invitation through the language of musical instruments to protect identity, language, and musical heritage in the face of cultural assimilation.

The "Vengê Ma" collective's work aims to present traditional Kurdish musical voices in a new symphonic form, with the aim of providing an artistic contribution that supports ongoing discussions about protecting "Kermanshahi" lament and transmitting Kurdish cultural memory to future generations.