Susamam

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Susamam (German: I cannot be silent ) is a Turkish protest video by the rapper Şanışer , in which he and 19 colleagues sing about a number of grievances in their country today. It is seen as the most striking act of civil resistance against the regime of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and was accessed more than 21.3 million times in the first week. The chorus is: “Don't be afraid, come with me. The day will come (...) I cannot be silent ”.

The video lasts 14:54 minutes and was released on September 5, 2019. The rappers involved are Fuat , Ados , Hayki , Server Uraz , Beta , Tahribad-ı İsyan , Sokrat St , Ozbi , Deniz Tekin , Sehabe , Yeis Sensura , Aspova , Defkhan , Aga B , Mirac , Mert Şenel and Kamufle , Murat's infrastructure Acar .

Content

Saniser, 2018
Fuat, 2009
Ezhel, 2018

Vice: “When Disstracks go viral in Turkey , then it's about the big picture, about society , justice , politics.” The video addresses mass arrests , intimidation by the police and restricted freedom of expression, violence against women , working conditions , urbanization , animal welfare and environmental destruction .

Right at the beginning, environmental pollution and deforestation are discussed with drastic images , referring to the gold mine project in the Ida Mountains . Fuat, the singer in this introductory passage, stated in the Vice interview that he was not allowed to say anything critical of the government in Turkey, “regardless of whether it is about forest fires or abused women”. Anyone who expresses criticism is portrayed as a PKK terrorist or supporter of Fethullah Gülen . Further quote Fuat: "Our government puts people in jail for years without evidence." Forests would simply be burned down to build villas for the rich. There would be no sewage treatment plants and the dirty water would just end up in the sea. “I am a nature lover and do not want the future of future generations to be destroyed. But that doesn't just affect Turkey, it's a global problem. "

Although the name of the Turkish president is not mentioned in the video, it is clear to all observers and critics who is being criticized. One of the allusions is the Ak Saray , the white palace of the president: "You have to have money or know someone, the big animals have to have your number, you have to know someone in the white palace," says Tahribad-ı İsyan.

An indictment scene in a prison cell is described as impressive by several media. Saniser and another inmate are sitting on the floor. The other complains, rapping: "Justice is dead. [...] I [have] remained silent and participated. Now I even shy away from sending a tweet and am afraid of the police in my country. "This is the keyword for Şanışer who unleashes a rap volley on his counterpart regarding the responsibility of the Turks for the conditions in their own country. it ends with the cry: "You didn't raise your voice, so it's your fault!"

Parallel action

Another Turkish rapper named Ezhel , who was in custody for several months last year, presented his rap song Olay , which was also critical of the regime , at the same time as Susamam . The video includes images of the attempted coup on July 15, 2016 and protests from previous years.

Reactions

Criticism of the Turkish government, in whatever form, was always "a risky undertaking" during the Erdogan regime, according to the FAZ. Countless journalists , writers but also three Turkish rappers were arrested for making critical statements and some were sentenced to long prison terms. "The risk of prosecution is great."

The government- affiliated newspaper Yeni Safak insulted the rap video as a co-production and work of left-wing extremist fringe groups, the Kurdish PKK and the Gülen movement . The Deputy Prime Minister Hamza Dağ (AKP) also criticized the video project and stressed that art should not be misused for provocation and political manipulation. Islamic conservative groups on the Internet formulated allegations against the musicians: “Sustunuz” (“You were silent”) is the name of a hashtag that accuses the authors of criticizing neither the 2016 coup attempt nor the terror of the PKK.

Quote

"If I had intended to be scared, to flinch, to run away, or to make myself small, I would not have produced this song."

- Saniser : On Twitter, September 8th, 2019

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Johanna Christner: "I cannot be silent" , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 12, 2019
  2. ↑ a b Vice : Where rap is still real: Turkish rappers against the Turkish state , September 12, 2019
  3. ↑ a b Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin): Turkish rappers reckon with Erdogan's system , September 8, 2019
  4. ↑ tagesschau.de: Protest song Turkish rapper: In lyrics against grievances. Retrieved September 11, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Rapper against Erdogan - "We just don't want to be silent anymore". Retrieved September 11, 2019 (German).
  6. ↑ Image : Turkish rappers mess with Erdogan! , September 12, 2019
  7. ↑ Seyda Kurt: Why this Turkish rap video is breaking records on YouTube , Ze.tt , accessed on September 16, 2019

Web links