Kurdish Book Fair

Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by KSSO in Calender, Community

“HUMAN WRITES AND KURDS” – ART EXHIBITION AND BOOK FAIR

Details: An exhibition of paintings by Haydar Akboga and Cemo, book covers and texts on linguistic genocide – 4th September – 30th September 2009.
Admission: Free; Hours: Mon – Fri: 10 am – 5 pm; Sat: 10 am – 3.30 pm

Kurdish Book Fair (25th- 26th September 2009: 10am-5pm)

Both events are taking place at Stoke Newington Library Gallery, Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 OJS. (see map at bottom of page)

To RSVP for this event you can do so via Facebook (please click here)

The book covers being exhibited are of children’s books in Kurdish that were seized by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul in 2006. As the Swedish news agency TT reported at the time:

“On the 25th August 2006, the Turkish authorities in Istanbul have seized 1,208 Kurdish versions of the books about Pippi Langstrump (Pippi Longstocking), the world’s famous fictional children’s character. They were sent on 7th August from Sweden by an organisation that runs an education
project for Kurds.The books had been sent for delivery to libraries in five Kurdish villages. As it is well known, Astrid Lindgren’s books about Pippi Longstocking have been translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries”.

‘Human Writes and Kurds’ forms part of the Write to Ignite Hackney Word Festival 2009 that is taking place throughout September in Hackney, London. This year’s Festival, themed loosely around ‘Human Writes’, was launched on 4th September in this gallery space during an evening of spoken word with story-tellers, poets and performers Malika Booker, Baden Prince Jnr, Michael
Rosen and Neal Zetter.

The Kurdish Book Fair will also be taking place on 25th-26th September at this venue and within the surroundings of the ‘Human Writes and Kurds’ exhibition (Friday 25th – 10am-5pm; Saturday 26th – 10am-5pm). National and international publishers (from Sweden and Turkey) and independent bookshops will be participating in an event that will be of interest to many.

Artists profiles: Haydar Akboga: “I have studied at Istanbul Fine Arts University. I started painting when I was 7 years old and I was doing small sculptures … Since then, I have never stopped painting. I live in London at the moment. Everything around me is a source of inspiration for me. Since the geography l was born and raised in had no shortage of materials,

“l had to find a way of defining myself in order to make a stand: to be able to live, endure pain and still be on your own feet requires being very strong as well as adopting an artistic approach to events. At least, this is the case where l come from. l use almost all kinds of different materials:
oil, charcoal, acrylic and so on. Most importantly, l use myself in the process of making art. OR when the art makes me what l am”.

Cemo: Cemo started drawing while jailed. He was arrested on 12th September 1980 during the military coup that took place in Turkey and he was found ‘guilty’ because of his political views and Kurdish ethnic background. He was sentenced to two death penalties (in 1985 and 1987).

Born in Qulp/Idir in 1962, he commenced drawing with charcoal portraits. At the beginning, his style was in reaction to the government’s prohibited, restricted and neglectful stance. During his custody (he was released in 1991), he worked with pastels and his work became increasingly political. Between the years 1992-1997, his works, which were an artistic projection of
experiences under very difficult circumstances (including prison) continued to be exhibited.

From 1997, he started to do oil paintings on canvases. Between the years 1981-1995, he spent 12 years in prison (10 years with no closure) and 30 years of his life have been spent in exile. His contemporary works are mostly about ‘near-past events’. Since 1996, Cemo has been based in England. He currently resides in London. His paintings have been exhibited at various
festivals and venues including the Human Rights Association (HRA – Balikesir, Istanbul and Osmanbey branches in Turkey), the Ören Art and Culture Festival and the Mesopotamia Culture Centre in Istanbul.
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The texts on linguistic genocide academically examine the manner in which the Kurdish culture, language and literature has been subject to censorship,

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