İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu slams ban on Kurdish theater play

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İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has commented on the ban which was imposed by the Gaziosmanpaşa Sub-Governor's Office on "Bêrû", a Kurdish theater play to be staged on the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (İMM) City Theaters yesterday evening (October 13).

While the ban was notified to the İMM hours before the play, the İstanbul Governor's Office stated that the play was banned "not because it was in Kurdish, but because there would be terror propaganda."

CLICK - Sub-governor's office bans Kurdish theater play to be hosted by İstanbul City Theaters

Against this backdrop, Mayor İmamoğlu was asked, "Theaters were closed due to the pandemic. You developed projects to support private theaters. The Kurdish play in Gaziosmanpaşa was banned by the sub-governor's office. And the Governor's Office stated that 'there was propaganda for the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party].' What would you like to say about this?"

İmamoğlu gave the following answer:

'Such unfounded excuses...'

"I am, of course, informed [about the incident]. I am the Metropolitan Mayor. In taking some decisions, these are naturally issues that re discussed at the table. What are we talking about?

"A Kurdish play... A theater play... I mean, what our citizens request is to perform a theater play in Kurdish. Let me tell you something. It is free for the member of a terrorist organization on a red notice wanted list to get on TV and make a statement. There is no problem with that. But it is banned, it is a crime to stage a play that will be watched by our citizens who know Kurdish. The play has already been staged for many times before.

"I mean, that cannot happen. There is something that we call a state mentality. A state mentality is that of the ones who rule the country. What I mean is that: The mentality of the ones who rule the state cannot make up such cheap, such invalid, such unfounded excuses. That mentality is obliged to act in a legitimate, reasonable, legal and lawful way. I feel really sad, I am really troubled when I see such things.

'Do you read minds, make guesses?

"Just think about it: The deputy minister of this country, the governor of this city with 16 million citizens, made statements and said that 'there would be terror propaganda.' These friends performed this play for 20-30 times before. They staged this play at certain points of Turkey and İstanbul for 20-30 times before. Where were you, then?

"If there is a terror crime, if there is an organized terror crime, you are the ones to intervene in this. You have the law enforcement and the administrative officials. I mean, are you now reading minds or making guesses? What are you doing? They will supposedly launch an investigation.

"Let me tell you something else: The same play was staged at the State Theaters in 2014. The same play was performed by the same group in Kurdish for at least 20-30 times. They have been performing it for 3-4 years.

"Look, it is a play by Dario Fo, an important world-renowned playwright from Italy. It was staged by the State Theaters. It was performed in Turkish. It will now be performed in Kurdish. What is the difference?

"In that sense, what is done is something very wrong, a really bad description has been made. They will supposedly go to court. They can do it. We will see what will happen then."

'We will not step back'

İmamoğlu was also asked whether the İMM would host or organize other Kurdish events or theater plays. He briefly answered as follows:

"The İMM is the municipality of 16 million people. We have an obligation to create a space for every feeling, every type of intercultural communication in this city. In that sense, we will not step back from this word."

'Bêrû' performed for over 100 times

Banned by the Gaziosmanpaşa Sub-Governor's Office "because it could disturb public order," the Kurdish theater play "Bêrû" adapted from Dario Fo's work has been staged in Kurdish for over 100 times since 2017.

While it was staged in Turkish by the Turkey's State Theaters, it was previously staged in Kurdish with the same content in a series of provinces such as İstanbul, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Adana, Ankara and Batman. (EMK/SD)