Turkish artists issue statement in support of Sezen Aksu: She will never walk alone
Some 217 artists have thrown their support behind Sezen Aksu, saying in a joint statement that the legendary singer will “never walk alone.” “We do not want a country in which Aksu's freedom of expression is restricted and she is threatened with 'cutting of her tongue,'” they said, referring to President Erdoğan's remarks about the singer.
Duvar English
Some 217 artists have released a joint statement in support of the legendary singer Sezen Aksu, after she has been targeted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over one of her songs.
“We are watching the remarks of President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which show Sezen Aksu as a target and disregard freedom of expression, with great reaction. We stand fully against this attack initiated against Sezen Aksu, who has been writing, singing and gifting several songs to the cultural accumulation of these lands for 47 years,” read the statement.
“We do not want a country in which Aksu's freedom of expression is restricted and she is threatened with 'cutting of her tongue.' We express that we stand together and in solidarity against this initiated attack,” they said, adding that the legendary singer “will never walk alone.”
Last week, Erdoğan threatened Aku over her 2017-dated song “It is a wonderful thing to live.” “No one can defame our Prophet Adam. It is our duty to cut those tongues,” Erdoğan said on Jan. 21, without explicitly mentioning Aksu's name.
Erdoğan's comments came after Islamists accused the song of going against “moral values” over its lyrics which call Adam and Eve “ignorant.”
In response, Aksu issued a statement on Jan. 22, thanking those who expressed support for her. She also said that she had penned a new song titled “hunter” with the lyrics of “You cannot crush my tongue.” “You cannot make me sad; I am already very sad; wherever I look is pain; wherever I look is pain; I am the chase; you are the hunter,” the song further reads.
“You cannot kill me; I have voice, saz [a musical instrument], words; when I say 'I,' I am everyone; I have been writing for the last 47 years; I will keep on writing,” the lyrics further read.
The lyrics have been translated into more than 35 languages.