In an interview with The Guardian, Lecturer in Media and Communication Dr Lyndon Way discussed the controversial folk-rock band Grup Yorum.
Dr Way described his experience of seeing the band perform in Turkey, where the concert led to unrest between police and protestors.
Grup Yorum’s songs often have a political focus, from highlighting Turkish government policies, to commentating on capitalism and Kurdish rights.
Dr Way described how speaking out is ‘very dangerous’ in Turkey, with many oppositional individuals jailed or removed from jobs.
He told The Guardian: “In more recent years, their music has become far more blatant in terms of sounds and lyrics,” says Way, who describes their politics as “a mix of support for a brand of Kurdish rights, anti-authoritarianism and Marxism. I suspect some agree with their Kurdish-rights stance, some with their anticapitalism, and some like the fact they stick their fingers up at the authorities.”
Grup Yorum were formed in the mid-80s by a group of university students, and currently 11 of its members are in prison in Turkey.