Mem Ararat

Mem Ararat (born September 17, 1981; Derik)[1] is a Kurdish singer, songwriter, and composer from kurdistan.[2][3][4]

Mem Ararat
Background information
Born (1981-09-17) September 17, 1981
Derik, Mardin Province
Genresslow
Instrument(s)Saz
Years active2014-present

Life

Ararat was born in Girkê Şêxê village in Derik district of Mardin Province. At seven, due to poor economic conditions in his village, his family moved west. In 1991 they returned to Mardin due to political reasons, before moving back again to western Turkey in 1994, again for political reasons.[5]

Due to these migrations, Arat could only attend primary school. Though always interested in music from childhood onwards, opportunities were scarce to develop his talent properly. When he eventually returned home in 2007, he settled down in Kiziltepe, Mardin where he engaged in farming, construction, trading and trading jobs.[5]

Career

Ararat started his music career in 2014.[6]

Concert ban

In 2020, his concerts in the Turkish provinces of Mersin, Diyarbakir and Bursa were canceled by the Turkish government.[2][7][6][8] Ararat made his statement clear on social media by noting that his live performance ban stems from singing in Kurdish and he also mentioned that he will not stop: “This will not stop us from singing our songs in all [Kurdish] dialects!"[9]

Discography

Album
  • Quling Ewr û Baran (2014)[1]
  • Kurdîka (2016)
  • Xewna Bajarekî (Drean of a city, 2018)
  • Niştiman (Home, 2019)
  • Pesna Evînê (2020)

Single

  • Pîvok (Crocus, 2019)

Video Clips
  • Payîz (Fall, 2016)
  • Zozan (2018)
  • Xatirxwestin (2019)
  • Çîçekê (Flower, 2019)
  • Ji Evareke Amedê (In love in Diyarbakir, 2019)
  • Evîna Du Çîya (Love of two mountains, 2019)
  • Dilo Ez Bimrim (2018)

References
  1. Mem, Ararat. "Mem Ararat kimdir, ve nerelidir?". Hozan Akpolat (in Turkish).
  2. Concert of Kurdish artist Mem Ararat canceled in Turkey's Bursa, Kurdistan 24, published in 2022/05/26 by Wladimir van Wilgenburg.
  3. "Mem Ararat straneke nû belav kir". www.rudaw.net (in Kurdish). Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  4. "AKP municipalities tone down the volume on Kurd-Pop in Turkey - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  5. Admin (2023-05-08). "Mem Ararat". New York Kurdish Cultural Center. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  6. Turkey bans concert in Diyarbakir by Kurdish singer Mem Ararat, Kurdistan 24, 2018/08/21 by Ari Khalidi .
  7. Osterlund, Paul Benjamin. "Turkey's 'culture war': Anger grows as string of events cancelled". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  8. "Urfa Bar Association to file complaint to counter ban against concert by Kurdish artist Mem Ararat". ANF News. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  9. SCF (2021-11-16). "Kurdish singer says concert cancelled by municipality for including Kurdish songs". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
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