Kurdish artists livestream music to lift spirits amid coronavirus curfews

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Several Kurdish artists turned to producing livestreamed concerts during Kurdish New Year celebrations on Saturday to lift the spirits of Kurds stuck at home under curfews meant to stop the spread of disease.

In Kurdish-majority regions of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, Kurds traditionally celebrate the ancient holiday of Newroz on March 21 with large crowds, music, and bonfires. This year’s festivities, however, have been pre-empted by the global coronavirus pandemic.

According to Kurdish mythology, a fearless Kurdish blacksmith named Kawa ended the tyrannical reign of the evil, oppressive King Zahak. Fires were lit to mark the end of oppression and the beginning of a new dawn of freedom which is still celebrated at the start of spring.

Both inside and outside of the Kurdish homeland, millions of Kurds looking forward to this day were disappointed this year.

Fidan Mirhanoglu organized an online Newroz concert on Youtube in cooperation with the Kurdish Institute in Paris that included performances by Kurdish artists such as Vedat Yıldırım, Mesut Alp, Rusan Filiztek, and Issa Hassan.

She first got the idea when a friend told her that, for the first time in her life, she would not celebrate Newroz.

“Neither the Turks, Arabs, nor Persians were able to stop us to celebrate Newroz. We always find a way to celebrate it, but coronavirus stopped it,” her friend told her.

Mirhanoglu shared the idea with her friends and they soon decided to organize ‘Online Newroz Corona 2020,’ because, as she said, “We didn’t want the Kurdish people to feel alone during the day of Newroz.”

Issa Hassan, a Kurdish musician living in France who participated in the event, told Kurdistan 24 that the normal plan to rent a music venue for artists to perform for Newroz had to be scrapped this year.

“For this reason, we want to offer our music and songs to our people, as this might make them happy. I hope the Newroz fire will burn the coronavirus.”

The crisis has also understandably affected the finances of many musicians who depend on such live performances to make their living. 

Cengiz Yazgi, who rose to fame through the Kurd Idol competition three years ago, also wanted to send a message by performing live on Facebook and Instagram to all Kurds. No matter how difficult the situation, she said, “nothing can stop us from celebrating Newroz.”

“I hope that we will come together in the next Newroz once again with our music and melodies as well as light the fire of Kawa Hesinkar, and sing and dance,” he continued.

The France-based singer and hurdy-gurdy player Éléonore Fourniau, who is not ethnically Kurdish but sings in Kurdish, was supposed to go on a two and half month tour of Europe, Canada, and Palestine. But, like everyone else, she is also stuck at home.

For this reason, the Kurdish Association in Bordeaux, France asked her to create a live concert, which she did with her brother who is not a musician, but a movie director.

“It was to lift up the spirits of people, because we all need to be together, despite the fact that we are all at home,” she said.

“And we have to celebrate Newroz. I thought it was a good idea, and I got a lot of positive messages for that. So, I was very happy to have done that.”

Now that she is not able to give concerts in public, she is working on her first solo Kurdish album.

Another performer named Mem Ararat, whose musical repertoire ranges from traditional music to ethno-jazz and protest songs, also decided to perform on Youtube for thousands of his fans.

“For me, this was a reason for happiness and I believe it’s the same for my fans.”

“As I remember, under every condition, we have celebrated Newroz. For this reason, Newroz bestows us strength and hope.”

However, for Dana Khafaf, a young upcoming Kurdish artist based in Sulaimani, performing live on Instagram for Newroz was to give a message to Kurds to stay home.

“My point of opening Instagram live was to raise awareness how the situation of corona is getting serious in our country and how staying home is the best thing we should do.”

“I would tell them, ‘Stay home, do not go out, and stay healthy.’” 

Editing by John J. Catherine