The Tunceli Governor’s Office in Turkey has banned the Armenian folk music ensemble Veradardz (“Return”) from performing at the 23rd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival, Turkish independent news agency Bianet reports .
The official explanation cited Veradardz’s participation in the 19th Munzur Festival in 2019, during which the group waved the Armenian national flag. Authorities deemed this act a “deviation from the stated objectives of the event.”
Tunceli Province, formerly known as Dersim, is located in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the only province in the country with an Alevi majority and has a Kurdish-majority population. The region includes eight municipalities, 366 villages, and 1,087 hamlets.
The ban on Veradardz was not an isolated case. Two non-Armenian music groups, Grup Yorum and Grup ?syan Ate? were also barred from participating in the festival.
The bans on Grup Yorum and Grup ?syan Ate?i were reportedly justified by authorities on the grounds that the groups had performed at past festivals and were accused of “terror propaganda,” despite not being scheduled to appear this year.
Zaza Kurdish musician Mikail Aslan addressed the situation, revealing that the Armenian group had to return to Van following the ban. Arlan mentioned that upon his return, he performed a piece by renowned Kurdish musician Ransber Eziz, but that too was reportedly obstructed by the authorities.
Arlan criticized the increasing suppression of cultural exchange, stating: “But we will continue to build friendship bridges with our old neighbors, our brother people, Armenians who have been uprooted a century ago. Neither the pressure nor the obstacles cannot hinder the construction of friendship and trust bridges.”
