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Turkey is a country driven by fear, German-born Turkish Armenian musician says

“If people rose up tomorrow in Turkey and were free of fear – it would be a free country….a country -where, regardless of their ethnic group, people, would be able to see a better future,” German-Turkish-Armenian musician Marc Sinan said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

German-born Turkish Armenian guitarist Marc Sinan organized concerts in cooperation with the director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker Markus Rindt on April 30 and May 1 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, and Turkish government was upset about that.

Musicians from Turkey, Armenia and Germany came together for the concert project “Aghet” in remembrance of the persecution and massacre of Armenians 101 years ago during the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The musical project in Dresden, however, came under fire for branding the Armenian massacre a “genocide.”

Marc Sinan’s Armenian grandmother survived the genocide 100 years ago. Her accounts of those events were included in the concert. The concert also included original quotes from Turkish officials and President Erdogan.

Marc Sinan said the concert had no political dimension. “We are people, so we express ourselves and take a stand on issues. This is an artistic project and a musical project that had an astonishing political effect. ”

The project was supported by an EU cultural fund, which restored its initial support shortly after it retreated as a result of Turkish government’s intervention.

Speaking about the failure of the Bundestag to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Sinan said: “Just imagine what it would be like if we in Germany denied that the Holocaust took place. That would be a de-facto continuation of the Holocaust. As long as this cycle of genocide continues, genocide will continue in a way. And the political forces behind it are now targeting the Kurdish population. Turkey is a country controlled by fear. People are afraid that the future will be even worse. They’re afraid of being killed like Hrant Dink for criticizing the government over the genocide,” Marc Sinan said.

 

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