US embassy cable - 03ISTANBUL1627

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 001627 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: KURDISH LANGUAGE NUDGES INTO PRIME TIME 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: In a small sign that Turkey's EU reforms 
are beginning to have some impact, Kurdish singer Ciwan Haco 
performed on a popular prime time television show on October 
25.  The show's host, Hulya Avsar, herself half-Kurdish, took 
pains to strike a balance between Turkish patriotism and 
Kurdish cultural expression.  Despite initial hesitation by 
the television station, Haco interviewed only in Kurmanji 
(the most widely spoken Kurdish language in Turkey), using a 
translator.  While no major milestone in linguistic freedom, 
the 15-minute performance and interview suggests there may be 
greater room to maneuver on "mother tongue" issues in the 
future.  End Summary. 
 
 
Hulya and the Show 
------------------ 
 
 
2. (U) Actress/singer Hulya Avsar's eponymous show featured a 
rarity in Turkish broadcasting on October 25: Kurdish singing 
and discussion.  Avsar, a native of Edremit, is the daughter 
of a Kurdish father and Turkish mother.  Her highly-rated 
show, sponsored by British retailers Marks & Spencer, is 
popular with youth of both sexes, and some middle-aged Turks. 
 The show airs on Saturday evenings at 11pm on a major 
Istanbul-based station, Kanal D. 
 
 
3. (SBU) Kanal D producers sought to soften the impact of 
inviting a Kurdish pop star to perform on the show.  Poloff 
learned from Haco's translator, who also appeared on the 
show, that the program executives initially asked Haco to 
talk with Avsar in English.  Haco (a Syrian-born Kurd who 
lives in Norway and speaks fluent English) refused, saying 
that he was a Kurd and wished to perform and speak in 
Kurmanji.  Poloff contacts opined that Haco's status as a 
citizen of another country may have made it easier to get 
Kurmanji past nervous television executives. 
 
 
Elderly Counter-balance 
----------------------- 
 
 
4. (U) Ultimately, Haco's wishes prevailed, but his 
appearance was preceded by a short interview with a 
105-year-old Turkish veteran of the Turkish War of 
Independence.  The feisty vet (who brought his bayonet with 
him and discussed the three Greeks he killed with it) talked 
of letting Ataturk drink water from his hands, and was a 
clear counterweight to Haco's Kurmanji performance. 
 
 
5. (U) Following the elderly veteran, Haco was introduced and 
began by conversing with Avsar in Kurmanji.  Avsar, after 
somewhat nervously saying that she was in fact partially 
Kurdish, spoke little herself, but recognized and used 
several basic phrases.  (Note: Older Turks with whom poloff 
spoke said this was not the first time Hulya had taken some 
risks professionally.  Avsar once publicly defended Ibrahim 
Tatlises, an icon of Turkish arabesk music who at one time 
was banned by the government.  End note.)  Two Kurmanji songs 
by Haco followed the interview. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 
6. (SBU) To date, post is not aware of any press reaction to 
the Kurdish performance.  Use of a "mother tongue" language, 
even briefly, without major outcry, is a small step forward. 
The true litmus test, however, will be the introduction of 
regular "mother tongue" broadcasting, something which was 
legalized as part of the 2002 EU reforms, but which has yet 
to be implemented.  End comment. 
SMITH