The breakout of protests caught us off the guard; so did our creative streak…:) It was creativity and humor that gave a boost to our morale all along. Most of these songs on #resistturkey june 2013 chart were created as a response to the violent crackdown on our democratic rights to assemble, and to freedom of speech while we were betrayed by the mainstream media and the police forces. Some songs are of good quality performed by professional musicians; some are cover songs.  Some do have  English subtitles; some do not. Yet, with Gezi Resistance footage and photos, they reflect the mood of Istanbul and many other cities in Turkey. Please watch and share them because the images will give you an idea of what we have been experiencing here for the past weeks. Life will probably never be the same again in Istanbul. Enjoy the music! (photo 1-2: anonymous)

 

 

    

 

1.  Eyvallah by Duman, a Turkish rock band: before I got to post sth about the 1st brutal attack of may 31 on FB, Duman had already created a song and posted it on you tube. I was like, when  did you get to find the time compose this? (With English subtitles)

2. Tencere Havası by Kardeş Türküler (Songs of Fraternity) A Turkish band, which interprets folk songs of indigenous cultures of Anatolia and Caucasus. (With English subtitles)

3. Insan Insan  Long before the protests, it was composed by Fazıl Say, the great Turkish composer and based on a poem by an Alewite poet, Muhyiddin Abdal. With the Gezi Park protests footage in the background, both the song and the last 3 weeks have brought out, right before my very eyes, the edges of humanity on both sides; the good and the evil.

 

 

4. Çapulcu musun vay vay! by Boğaziçi University jazz band. A reinterpretation of a Turkish folk song, Entarisi ala benziyor.

5. Another release by the same band, Çapulcu oldun mu?  Again a reinterpretation of a Turkish folk song, “Kızılcıklar oldu mu?”

6. Two Gezi Park protestors taking shelter at the Divan hotel; clashes outside, music inside. An amazing piece by Yann Tiersen, Mother’s Journey (Illustration: Bengi Gençer)

7. Kim sevmedi seni söyle başkan, sen çocukken? (Tell us who did not love you, president, when you were a kid?) by Hüseyin Badili

 

   

 

8. Şimdi Istanbul’da olmak vardı by New York chapullers, Turkish expats living in New York. A reinterpretation of an old song of the same name. ‘Wish we were in Istanbul now’, is their cry.

9. Çapulci, a song to support the gezi protest by Agire Jiyan, a Kurdish music band. (with Kurdish subtitles)

10. Çapulcular İktidara by a political music group, SoL Major.

11. ResISTanbul  by Elena Faidra & Periklis Tsoukalas, support from Greece. (with Greek & Turkish subtitles)

12. Do you hear the people sing?  One of the most popular songs of the movie, the Miserables, which is based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name. Do we need an anthem for the revolution or what?

 

      

 

13. I will be watching you   Gezi Park protests version of the famous Police song.

14. Everyday I am chapulling   Chapulling, which translates as looting, has taken on a new meaning in the Gezi Park context— fighting for your rights!

 

 

15. Davide Mortello playing at the Taksim square for 3 consecutive nights right before the evacuation of the Gezi Park. It calmed us down a bit and reminded us of the fact that life is indeed quite unpredictable. Life is so unpredictable in this part of the world, though:) (photo: anonymous)

16. Joan Baez singing Imagine for Gezi Resistance. With words of encouragement and support in Turkish.

17. Gezi Park version of Daft Punk’s Giorgio by Moroder.

18. Rammstein’s  Ich will featuring rte. Enough of ‘I want’s.

19. Tencere tava symphonies of the summer evenings. Beg your pardon; not all of us have the ear for music:)

20. How about the protestors in the streets? What do they chant when it gets dark and they get tear gassed? Hurray, tear gas! and Spray tear gas if you dare! The sweet taste of anarchy! (Illustration: Banksy)

 

 

 

 

Tags:  Agire Jiyan diaries Duman Fazıl Say Gezi spirit Joan Baez Kardeş Türküler Kurdish music lists Miserables music video Playlist poetry political activism politics rally Resistanbul series