Composer Şanar Yurdatapan is Director of the Turkish-based Association for Freedom of Expression. In this interview he speaks about the session entitled 'Turkey – Crossing the bridge' which was an important event at the 3rd Freemuse World Conference in Istanbul in November 2006.
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Şanar Yurdatapan was born in Susurluk in Turkey in 1941. He became famous as a composer and song writer during the 1970’s. In addition to his contribution to popular music, Şanar has written music for films and plays. Following the military coup in 1980, he left Turkey and lived in exile in Germany for 12 years. The Turkish Military regime stripped him from his citizenship in 1983. He returned to Turkey in December 1991 and got his citizenship back in 1992.
Şanar has been the spokesperson of the ‘Initiative for Freedom of Expression’, leading a civil disobedience action, since 1995. This is the website of the initiative: www.antenna-tr.org
The video also contains short excerpts of the testimony presentations by Ferhat Tunç, Selda Bağcan and Grup Yorum at the conference.
The video interview with Sanar Yurdatapan as well as the additional clips from the conference was recorded by Mik Aidt assisted by Gaëlle Gauthier-Brown on 26 November 2006. Signature music: by Jason Carter, recorded live at the conference.
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Excerpt of political scientist Beate Slydal's presentation at the seminar 'Music - a human right', held in Oslo, Norway, on Music Freedom Day, 3 March 2008
On 29 November 2007 the Danish Refugee Council awarded Mizgin, a Kurdish refugee musician based in Denmark, with an 'Artist Award' and 5,000 US dollars
