In Music, Fashion and Food, Kurdish Fusion Coming into its Own
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Gare Sazkar has been singing and playing the saz (a Middle Eastern guitar) for 50 years. In that time, he and his wife fled persecution in Rojava (Kurdish east Syria) to settle in Denmark. The traditional folkloric music he took with him served as a lifeline to Kurdistan, a safeguard of his identity. These days, Gare continues to sing the same old songs, with one catch: they are sampled into pop songs to create a mixture of R&B, rock, house music --and yes, Kurdish folk.
Right now he is on tour with Rewan Riko, his son, and rapper Samuel B. Sindi as part of Li Dinê, meaning “world, here we come,” in Kurdish.
The band is part of a growing trend of “Kurdish fusion” in the arts. This reflects the influence of Kurds emigrating into the world, mixing their culture with that of their adopted homes. As most Kurds left in the second half of the 20th century, there are now generations of Kurds who are fully assimilated abroad. Frequently, the younger ones speak little or no Kurdish, and many more have never been to Kurdistan.
“The music is how we reconnected ourselves,” says Sindi. “Our families left Kurdistan years ago, and we were missing that closeness to the place itself.”
Riko points to their music video for their most popular song, “Take Me Home,” which was filmed in Kurdistan. “The video was a way for others to visually connect -- we wanted to show them the country,” whether the audience is Kurdish or not.
This wouldn’t have been possible 10 years ago. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq -- the only entity resembling a Kurdish state -- began an era of peace and prosperity only after a new Iraqi government was formed in 2005. Once a source of refugees, Iraqi Kurdistan is able to accommodate over 200,000 refugees from the Syrian civil war.
In the last year, Turkey has started to grant more freedoms and rights to its massive Kurdish population, who had been brutally suppressed since the formation of the republic in 1923. Turkish Kurds, once labeled “Mountain Turks,” are now able to speak their language freely and vote for Kurdish parties.
With growing numbers of millionaires and billionaires amongst their ranks, Kurds mustn’t only think of themselves as victims of history. If decades of persecution meant culture had to be safeguarded and carefully preserved, newfound security and freedom of speech allow Kurdish culture to be shared and hybridized.
The title of Li Dinê’s album, “Hemering,” is taken from a lyrical expression meaning “a blending of all colors.” The term reflects the bandmates’ globalized identities -- something many of their foreign-born Kurdish followers appreciate. So do new generations of Iraqi Kurds who have been raised on equal parts Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, and Kurdish icons like Sivan Perwer.
“Music is music. We’re eclectic,” says Sindi. “Of course, I grew up exposed to Kurdish music with my family, but in Denmark I also found Motown and Tupac. I’ve been listening to a lot of Marvyn Gaye and Al Green recently.”
Li Dinê is part of a growing number of musicians who blend musical influences. Folk songs set to blaring techno rhythms are a staple of Kurdish music channels. Forget Swedish House Mafia when you have DJ Renas Miran’s Kurdish House Project.
Helly Luv, born in Dohuk but raised in Finland and the US, became a sensation overnight with the release of her video “Risk it All.” The video follows her dancing alternately in short skirts and Kurdish clothing on the rooftops of Erbil, brandishing Kalashnikovs, high heels, and Kurdish flag-waving toddlers. The video earned the singer death threats, but also hoardes of die-hard fans who love her music and “new Kurdish” style.
The trend extends beyond music and fashion. Erbil’s newest luxury restaurant, Onyx, markets itself as a Kurdish fusion haute cuisine experience. Master Chef Johnny Goric came to Erbil to study Kurdish cooking six months before opening the restaurant. His menu uses local ingredients like pomegranate molasses and Hawleri yogurt, but offers a different take on classic dishes. For example, Goric incorporates modern European culinary techniques like “sous vide” cooking, where meat is sealed in airtight bags and boiled at high temperatures for as long as 72 hours.
Sometimes the degree of cultural exchange can be a little confusing. “We just finished an interview with some people in Tajikistan,” Sindi laughs. “They weren’t Kurdish or anything… I’m not quite sure how they found our music. It’s just one of the positive things about globalization.”