Left-leaning protest music tradition in Turkey (1960s-1990s) and the case of Ahmet Kaya

Abstract

This thesis is a discussion of the left-leaning protest music tradition in Turkey discussed with regard to the key references, approaches and musical sources, and focuses on the case of a protest singer-song writer, Ahmet Kaya (1957-2000) as both a re-connection with and a rupture from that tradition. The thesis is constructed around two axes: Within the scope of the first axis, the study focuses on describing and interpreting the tradition of musical protest in any way related with the Leftist/Socialist thought and movement in Turkey from 1960s to 1990s. As the second axis, the study focuses on examining the case of Ahmet Kaya as both a 're-connection with' and a 'rupture from' the left-leaning protest music tradition in Turkey as well as analyzing his musical accumulation in personal, socio-political and musical terms. Hence, by using Ahmet Kaya example as a key, the study aims to make a critical reading of the 'protest' character of the mentioned musical field in terms of what was included and excluded by the said tradition. Ahmet Kaya is a singer-songwriter; he composed and performed his own songs. Nearly half of the songs are with his own lyrics and he also composed the poems of various poets from first generation socialists to the younger poets of his period. While producing his songs, he was influenced by the social-political conditions of the period and reflected these through his music. He made music not only to establish bonds with the oppressed victims of the society, to be their voice and give them morale and strength, but also to mark history and create documents. In this sense, Kaya's music has a truth-bearing and protest character. At the same time, music is for him a form of self-expression, a means of establishing his own identity and empowering himself. He also challenged the dominant music making styles of his time. For example, he incorporated arabesk and Turkish classical music elements to his music, which were considered inferior in left culture then. That distinguishes him from many other protest musicians of the period. Because of all this, he was exposed to many criticisms throughout his life -from his music to his lifestyle- and even his music was called as arabesk. These criticisms also affected the way he defined and produced his own music; sometimes it took the form of rejection, rebellion and defiance, and sometimes acceptance. On the other hand, Kaya produced and presented his music in the field of popular music and intertwined with market conditions. In addition to traditional styles from folk to Turkish classical music, he incorporated elements from local popular forms such as arabesk and global popular genres such as rock and pop. It is possible to see various musical influences in his music. This led to his mixed musical style which also helped his audience from various sections of the society to be connected with his music. On the other hand, due to the political conditions of the period and the fact that the market was so involved in his music making, he could not make radical exit as he wished; for example, he could not include a Kurdish song in his repertoire until his last album. This decision started the lynching campaign against him that led to his death in exile. Nevertheless, Ahmet Kaya became an icon in the eyes of the revolutionary youth of the period and especially Kurdish people together with the 90s. It is possible to say that the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people has been symbolized through Ahmet Kaya. In this thesis it was argued that due to the above-mentioned elements in personal, musical and political terms, Ahmet Kaya should be evaluated as a popular and distinctive figure and a divergent example of the mentioned left-leaning protest music tradition in Turkey.