The Sivas Massacre

Subject: The Sivas Massacre
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Jul 17 - 11:35 AM

I'm deliberately putting this above the line since so many of the victims were musicians - and killed precisely because of what they sang about.

Today marks the anniversary of the Sivas Massacre, when a mob of Islamic fundamentalists burned down a hotel that was the venue for a conference of Alevi and secular intellectuals who were there to hear Aziz Nesin, the translator of Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" (and at least as good a writer as Rushdie in his own right). 33 of the participants died and 2 hotel staff.

This is getting a lot of attention right now in Turkey, given that Erdogan approves of what those thugs did.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivas_massacre

Why did you burn us? (in Turkish, but puts faces to the victims).

Thanks to the oud maker Faruk Türünz for pointing this out on Facebook. Faruk is one of the good guys.

Subject: RE: The Sivas Massacre
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jul 17 - 10:59 AM

One of those lost:

Hasret Gültekin on YouTube

That fingerstyle ("selpe") saz playing was something he did better than anyone.

Subject: RE: The Sivas Massacre
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jul 17 - 11:34 AM

Facebook video of the attack

Subject: RE: The Sivas Massacre
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jul 17 - 05:52 PM

More Hasret Gültekin. Filmed (not very well, and turn the volume down) at a wedding, of all things. But it does a great job of showing that extraordinary saz technique.

I suppose the closest equivalent in the British scene would have been getting Dick Gaughan to do a 55-minute wedding gig...???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCsu06s03mU