Aşιk Nesimi

 

LE CHANT DES TROUBADOURS DE TURQUIE

ACHIK NESIMI

THE SINGING OF THE TURKISH TROUBADOURS

Anthologie de la musique des peuples, 1979, AMP 7 2905

 Aşιk Nesimi Çimen (1931-1993) was what we call in French a bard, somebody who can sing old texts as well as his own compositions set on traditional or composed tunes. Nesimi was an Alevi and heir of a long tradition of singers politically concerned by the place of poor and oppressed people in the Ottoman and Turkish society. There are information in English about Nesimi's life and all the songs are translated.
The number of Alevi people is estimated at 25% of the total population but because they don't go to the mosque or fast during the ramadan, they are not considered as good muslims by the Sunnites. Women are not confined to domestic chores only but are active in the ceremonies with men. Nesimi sings a love poem by Latife Bacι.
The death of Nesimi on the 2nd of July 1993 is an example of that situation. Some Alevis went to Sivas to celebrate Pir Sultan Abdal, Nesimi among them. When the inhabitants of Sivas knew about this meeting some of them went to the hotel in order to stop or protest against the presence of these Alevis in Sivas a town known for its strict and rigorous practice of Islam. The police were there as well but didn't move when the crowd set fire to the place killing 37 and injuring dozens of  participants. It was  displayed on TV but the President of the Republic said publicly that it was ''an isolated act'' only not worth acting about it. Nobody was arrested afterward. I don't think that the global perception of the Alevis has changed since with Erdoǧan in power. About 100 000 persons were present at the victims' burial.
So this album is an important document; Nesimi recorded another album in France ''Chants de luttes révolutionnaires d'Anatolie'' in the sixties. If one of you has it I'd like to know.

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