Roj Bash !

Listen to here

In 192, a movie about Mem û Zîn story was shot by Umit Elçi, – in Turkish, alas ! but there is a Sorani version also. A CD has been recorded with the musics that Mazlum Cimen created for the movie. And the most moving and funny part is at the beginning of the records, a presentation of Mem and Zîn by the famous Kurdish writer and poet, Musa Anter, who was, at this time, chairman of the Kurdish Institute of Istanbul. He died soon after, we are going to see how.

Then follows, in short, what Musa Anter said concerning the movie :

“Mem û Zîn ! What a nice title, which succeed to make an artist of me, at my old time ! Youth, today, does not know the road we had to do for reaching these days. The young who walked with his beloved in April, how could he think to the coldness of January ?

I will tell you a story. In 1943, I was the head oof the students ‘ dormitory in Dicle university, in Istanbul. One day, police came and led me to the First Division. Immediately 5 policement began to beat me with insults. I asked what I’ve done. The Police Chief answered : “Olan ! You, traitor’s son, don’t you know your crime ? ” “No, I don’t know what you reproach to me.” “Haven’t you got a radio ?” “Yes I have.” “And you have a record player ?” “Yes, I have got it also.” “There are si much beautiful Turkish songs, you son of bastard, what is your fancy* to “whistle” in Kurdish in the dormitory ? (*lit. What kind of shit do you eat ?”)

O valiant Turkish and Kurdish youth, do you see now from where we’re coming ?

And now, in Istanbul, inspired by this famous classical epic, we’ve made the movie “Mem and¨Zîn”. The Turkish Prime Minister of Turkey sends me at the Gala evening a message of congratulations and the Turkish Fondation for Human’s rights honoured me for “valuable service. ”

Then here is a funny and hilariting passage. I can imagine Turkish nationalists’ reaction by listening to that :

“I think that, as we did in 1000 years ago in Kurdistan, by islamizing Seljuks, cutting their penis and calling them Muhammad, we, Kurds, once again, should bring democracy to Turks and Turkey. ”

And then as a final top, Musa Anter reads a “Xani’s message to Kurds.” And what a message ! It is the famous “Derdê me”, where Xani called Kurds to unity and hopes independance.

The same year, in September 1992, Musa Anter was murdered by Turkish services, as revealed Murat Ipek, a former PKK, working for JITEM. According to his murderer, the last words of Musa Anter, when he realised that he was going to be executed were : “My sons, you make a mistake.”