Dengbêj () is a Kurdish

music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Genre is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometim ...

sung by Dengbêj. Dengbêjs are singing storytellers. There have been many terms to describe Dengbêjs throughout history, but today Dengbêj is the best known, and also several singing storytellers use Dengbêj as part of their own (artistic) name. Dengbêjs are viewed as a way to transmit the traditions of their Kurdish ancestors in times as it was not possible to publish in Kurdish or about Kurdish history. Since many documents about certain Kurdish events don't exist, today there exist attempts to analyze them through the songs of the Dengbêjs. They sing about Kurdish geography, history, recent events, but also lullabies and love songs.

History

Roger Lescot has performed a study through a large amount of Dengbêjs during the French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon. In the 1930s the Turkish Government implemented fines on every word that was spoken in Kurdish, putting the tradition of Dengbêjs singing in danger and almost became extinct in

Turkish Kurdistan Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan () is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form the predominant ethnic group. The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the ...

. In the 1980s the Dengbêjs were persecuted for singing in Kurdish, as it was forbidden in Turkey to sing in

Kurdish language Kurdish (, , ) is a Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern Iranian language or dialect continuum, group of languages spoken by Kurds in the region of Kurdistan, namely in southeast Turkish Kurdistan, Turkey, northern Iraqi Kurdistan, Ira ...

. At that time Dengebêjs were recorded clandestinely on cassette tapes and distributed. In 1991, the Turkish president Turgut Özal announced that the use of the Kurdish language became legal except for broadcasts, publications, education and in politics. The Dengbêjs were again able to perform with more freedom. From 1994 onward, the Dengbêjs were supported by Kurdish politicians to attend festivals and TV shows outside of Turkey and from the 2000s also within

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Dengbêj music became politicized and as a sign of Kurdish nationalism, which was confronted by

Turkish nationalism Turkish nationalism () is nationalism among the people of Turkey and individuals whose national identity is Turkish. Turkish nationalism consists of political and social movements and sentiments prompted by a love for Turkish culture, Turkish ...

. The Kilam is a specialty of the Dengbêjs, where they just let out spontaneously what moves them, and do not even pause after the end of a phrase.Wendelmoet Hamelink, (2016), p. 58 The style of a stran is melodic and rhythmic, popular and love songs sung at weddings are sung in the stran style. They sing mostly without instruments accompanying them. Traditionally Dengbêjs need to learn ancient Dengbêj songs before performing their own songs. In 2003 the first ''Mala Dengbêjan'' (Dengbêj House in Kurdish) was in inaugurated in

Van, Turkey Van (; ; ) is a city in eastern Turkey's Van Province, on the eastern shore of Lake Van. It is the capital and largest city of Van Province. Van has a long history as a major urban area. It has been a large city since the first millennium B ...

.Wendelmoet Hamelink, (2016), p. 307 In May 2007 the Democratic Society Party (DTP) led Municipality of

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

supported the establishment of the ''Mala Dengbêjan'' in Diyarbakır. In several other cities, Dengbêj houses were founded as well. The revitalization of the Dengbej tradition was supported by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Well-known Dengbêjs include Karapetê Xaço, Evdalê Zeynikî and Şakîro.Wendelmoet Hamelink, (2016), p. 210

References

Kurdish music Kurdish culture Kurdish language Kurdish words and phrases

History

See also

References