2. Significant institutions supporting Kurdish music

 

The most significant institutions supporting Kurdish music, language research, archiving and publishing are the Kurdish institutes in European cities, Istanbul and elsewhere (such as the Kurdish Heritage Institute, the Süleymaniye, and the Mesopotamia Cultural Centers (MKM) in both Diyarbakır and Istanbul). Institutions that have contributed to Kurdish culture and music are located in Kurdish Diaspora countries such as Sweden, Germany, France, and so on. This is because the ignorance and denial policies of the homeland governments of Kurdistan make it difficult to construct and sustain such institutions, which are obviously going to work against the governments’ policies. Kurdish institutes have published numerous books on Kurdish language, literature, history and culture. Although they try to support Kurdish music by giving youngsters bağlama (a long-necked lute) lessons and teaching some Kurdish songs or sometimes help organize concerts, the core motivation of the institutes has been the fight against violations of the human rights of Kurds living in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. The Diaspora institutes spend much of their time directing the international communities’ attention to the Kurdish issue, to the problems Kurds face, and improving the awareness of human rights violations. 


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