Folk it! Mediterranee focuses on the musical richness of the Mediterranean region. Episode 1: Selda Bağcan
In this new version of Folk it!, it is almost obvious to kick off with Turkey, the country (like Syria) that has been in the news so terribly in recent weeks due to the many victims of the earthquakes and bad governance. Fortunately, there have already been various actions and benefit performances to offer a helping hand to the many thousands of victims. To join in, we start this broadcast with a song by singer and actress Meral Polat, who tirelessly works for this much-needed aid. Giro 555, Doctors without Borders, there are many possibilities to make a financial contribution.
Furthermore, this episode is about Selda Bağcan. This legendary “protest” singer, now 74 years old, has distinguished herself since the beginning of her career in the early 1970s with her socially critical lyrics and solidarity with the poor and social outcasts. It brought her great popularity among ordinary people, and she sold millions of records. However, her activist work also provoked resistance from the Turkish government, especially under the military regime of the 1980s. Therefore, she ended up in prison several times. Nevertheless, she always raised her voice and her songs remain relevant.
Her music was and remained rooted in Anatolian folk, but she soon experimented with rock, electronics. She became an important part of the psychedelic wave that emerged especially in the 1970s and seems to be experiencing a revival today (Altin Gün; Derya Yıldırım, Gaye Su Akyol to name a few).
Even in today’s Turkey, Selda’s socially and politically engaged work has not lost its importance. Selda can be seen live at work on March 12th in TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. In addition to her lyrics, the psychedelic interpretation of Turkish folk music and the emotional performance will undoubtedly make that performance an impressive experience, just like during the LeGuesswho festival in 2014.
TivoliVrdenburg ZO 12 MRT 2023, Selda Bağcan Legendaryu Turkish protest singer
https://www.tivolivredenburg.nl/agenda/selda-bagcan-12-03-2023/
1 Meral Polat Trio- Hoş geldin 4’18
Album: Meral Polat Trio – Ez Kî Me (eigen beheer 2022)
2 Selda Bağcan – Mapusane icinde mermer direk. 4’23
3 Selda Bağcan – Dost uyan (wake-up friend). 3’02
4 Selda Bağcan – Vurulduk Ey Halkim Unutma Bizi (1976)-13. 3’01
5 Selda Bağcan – Katip Arzuhalim Yaz Yare Böyle (Orjinal Plak Kayıt). 3’04
6 Selda Bağcan – Mapushaneler gunes dogmuyor. 1’59
7 Selda Bağcan – Kaldi kaldi. 3’15
8 Selda Bağcan – yaz gazeteci yaz. 2’45
9 Selda Bağcan – ince ince (delicate, delicate). 3’42
10 Selda Bağcan Anayasso. 3’03
11 Selda Bağcan – gitme. 4’12
12 Selda Bağcan – utan utan. 2’53
13 Yaz Gazeteci Yaz (Say It Journalist! Say it!)
Bron: Selda Bağcan – Live at Le Guess Who 2014. 3’13
14 Selda Bağcan – Vurulduk Ey Halkım Unutma Bizi (They Shoot Us People, Don’t Forget Us!)
Bron: Selda Bağcan – Live at Le Guess Who 2014. 2’41
15 Selda Bağcan – Yuh Yuh (Boo Boo!) in Selda Bağcan – Live at Le Guess Who 2014. 3’20
16 Selda Bağcan – Mehmet Emmi (Uncle Mehmet). 3’21
17 Selda Bağcan – Özgürlük ve Demokrasiyi Çizmek (Drawing Freedom & Democracy). 3’07
18 Selda Bağcan – Tatlı Dillim (My Sweet Tongue) in Selda Bağcan – Live at Le Guess Who 2014. 3’40
