Giannis Marinos Hall, The Friends of Music Society, Athens 5th September 2023
George Agorastakis
Our dear beloved friend Zülfü Livaneli,
Dear friends,
I have come from Crete, the beloved homeland of Mikis Theodorakis, to bestow with you a well-deserved honor, on behalf of the Friends of Mikis Theodorakis, to our dear friend Zülfü Livaneli. A well-deserved honour for his long-standing struggles for Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights, Peace and especially for the peaceful coexistence of the two nations of Greece and Turkey. Furthermore, for his extensive contributions to music, literature, and cinema.
Zülfü Livaneli is a multi-talented creator – composer, author, director and also a significant activist. He is one of Turkey’s most important and internationally recognized personalities. He has received numerous awards and honors for his extensive work and action. His compositions, books, and films have earned him recognition on both national and international levels, with over 30 international awards.
His artistic and literary creations are inseparably linked to the political struggles of the Turkish people, as well as his own. This is why he managed to express the collective feelings and aspirations of his people, leading to his work having such a great impact both within his country and abroad. His struggle began with the coup d’état in 1970, when the military seized power. Zülfü Livaneli, along with thousands of leftists, was imprisoned. After his release, he fled into exile in Sweden. He returned to Turkey in 1984.
“My life, he will say, has been dedicated to defending brotherhood, respecting human rights, and upholding the rule of law. I endured trials, military imprisonment, exile, bans on my work, threats to my life…” His work is related to these struggles, from his first album released in 1973 in Sweden, “dedicated to the martyrs of democracy who
were killed by the military junta,” to his latest works. He even recently stated that he still hopes for the day when his music will lose its relevance to current events. “I yearn for a Turkey where these songs will no longer need to be sung.”
Zülfü Livaneli, being of Georgian descent, is well aware of the history and issues faced by minorities in his country, which is why he advocates for their rights. He was one of the founders of the Turkish-Kurdish peace movement and the initiator of the “Campaign Against Violence” in Turkey, which began in 1995.
In 1995, he became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, in recognition of his contribution to world peace. He resigned from this position in 2016, following the destruction of significant portions of a cultural heritage site in Diyarbakır Sur during military operations in the region. He accused the Government and the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul at the time of indifference and hypocrisy in “the destruction of history.”
In 2002, Zülfü Livaneli was elected as a member of parliament for Istanbul with the Republican People’s Party (CHP), serving as an opposition member for one term. He also served as a member of the Turkish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
His dedicated efforts were centered around promoting friendship and peaceful coexistence between the two nations, Greece and Turkey, always in collaboration with Mikis Theodorakis.
Zülfü Livaneli first met Maria Farantouri in 1979. Since then, they have continuously collaborated in the realm of music recording and primarily in concerts held not only in Turkey and Greece but also in many other countries.
In 1983, 40 years ago, Zülfü Livaneli’s path intertwined with that of Mikis Theodorakis. From then until 2021, when Mikis passed away, they collaborated artistically and politically. Both of them (Theodorakis and Livaneli) emphasize their love and deep mutual respect, as well as the parallel nature of their work, beliefs, and actions.
Livaneli, devastated at Theodorakis’s funeral, stated: “He was my teacher, my big brother, my dear friend. He was everything to me.”
As Livaneli’s music mentor, he said in a 2005 conference about Theodorakis in Chania: “I was one of the many musicians who greatly admired Mikis Theodorakis and his creative work. I was particularly influenced by the way he used the musical tradition of his country… What unites Theodorakis and me as musicians above all is our belief in the need to start from our roots to create an authentic work of art that could have global impact. Just as is the case with Theodorakis, my music is also inspired by traditional forms.”
Thanks to Theodorakis, I had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Greek music and Greek musicians. This fact became an inseparable part of my musical, political, and cultural identity.
As a colleague of his, Livaneli stressed: “Both of us were interested in improving the relations between Turkey and Greece. From the beginning, we felt that it was a significant responsibility of artists and intellectuals to solve this issue. We also believed in the power of art and music. Thus, we gave concerts and made records together.
One of our most important projects was the establishment of “Greek-Turkish Friendship” in 1986, an association that brought together intellectuals, artists, and politicians from both sides of the Aegean. I view the problems between Greece and Turkey as essentially family problems. The Turkish and Greek people have so much in common: a shared past, a common culture…
And I believe that through the “Greek-Turkish Friendship,” we managed to make considerable progress, bringing about changes in the hearts and minds of people on both sides of the Aegean.
The artistic and political friendship and companionship between Livaneli and Theodorakis became the symbolic foundation of the Greek-Turkish and Turkish-Greek friendship movement.
In September 1986, when Mikis Theodorakis first visited Istanbul for the “Golden Record Award Ceremony “, for his first joint album with Livaneli “Gather the Sun for Me”, he and Livaneli decided to take the initiative to establish Turkey-Greece Friendship Associations in both Turkey and Greece. A “Bridge of Culture in the Aegean” was formed at that time, and a multidimensional “citizen diplomacy” unfolded on both sides of the Aegean.
In Turkey, Livaneli collaborated in founding the Turkish-Greek Friendship Committee, which included distinguished intellectuals such as Yaşar Kemal, Aziz Nesin, Ali Sirmen, Zeynep Oral, Oğuz Aral, Ekrem Akurgal.
In Greece, the Greek-Turkish Friendship Committee was established in November 1986. Among the founding members, besides Mikis Theodorakis, were Stefanos Linaios, Giorgos Papapetrou, Panos Trigazis, Takis Kouladourou, Makis Trikoukis, and others. Representatives from all political parties in the country were also invited and participated in the Committee.
Among the many significant initiatives that were undertaken, the following characteristic moments are noted:
In 1988, in Greece, the Committee received a message from Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou to the Turkish people, which was taken to Ankara. The Turkish leadership then officially and cordially welcomed the Greek Committee.
In the same year, after the imprisonment and trial of Turkish left-wing leaders Kutlu and Sargin in a military court, an international solidarity committee was established in Paris, which elected Mikis Theodorakis as its President. Thus, with the dual role of President of the International Committee and a member of the Greek Friendship Committee, he found himself in Ankara again. Accompanied by Zülfü Livaneli and Yaşar Kemal, they visited the military court and participated in the subsequent protests.
Also in the same year, the triumphant concert of Theodorakis-Livaneli took place at the packed ancient theater of Ephesus, the largest surviving ancient theater with a capacity of 25,000 spectators.
In May 1991, Mikis Theodorakis visited Ankara as a minister and held discussions with the Turkish Government on bilateral issues. The next day, a concert was held in Ankara where he conducted his works. The Mayor of Ankara and thousands of Turkish spectators deified him at the city’s stadium.
In 1997, after the Imia crisis in 1996, when Greece and Turkey came very close to war, Mikis Theodorakis and Zülfü Livaneli decided to respond with an international campaign against this development: “…with our concerts, songs, and protests, we wanted to make the issue of peace a matter for both of our nations.”
Their tour was initially met with reservations from the public opinion. However, after a major joint concert in May 1997 in Berlin, the peace initiative gained recognition in Germany. The press “discovered” the issue, and the German political leadership began to support the peaceful settlement of the Greece-Turkey disputes. From this concert, the second joint album “Mikis Theodorakis – Zülfü Livaneli: Together!” was born. The earthquake in Turkey in August 1999 provided a new “tragic” opportunity to revive the bonds of friendship between “Greeks” and “Turks.” Among other things, “friendship concerts” were planned by “friends” Livaneli, Theodorakis, and Farantouri in Athens and Istanbul, with the support of Greek and Turkish trade unions. The celebration of Mikis Theodorakis’ 80th birthday in 2005 was shared in his birthplace, Chios, and in Cesme, which was the birthplace of his mother. Events and large concerts were organized on both sides. Mikis’ birthday celebration became the celebration of the friendship between the two nations. Mikis Theodorakis and Zülfü Livaneli were honored. Their significant contribution to the reapproachment of the two nations was acknowledged.
The enthusiastic Turkish audience in Çeşme applauded Livaneli when he sang “Se touta edo ta Marmara/ Upon These Marbles” together with the Greek artists. “Mikis Theodorakis is a symbol of resistance, democracy, Greek-Turkish friendship, and peace,” Livaneli said. “I love Greeks and respect them, and Greece is my second homeland. I want these countries not to have conflicts but to develop culture,” he declared.
Responding to his “brother” Livaneli’s greeting, Theodorakis noted, “…we want peace between our homelands. We want freedom, democracy, progress in our homelands, and for that, we need peace. We don’t want poverty, hunger, illiteracy in our homelands, and for that, we want peace. We don’t want to buy weapons of war, but we want to use that money to build schools, hospitals, culture, progress.” Lastly, it’s worth noting the inter-communal concert in the buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, opposite Ledra Palace in 2015, where Zülfü Livaneli and Maria Farantouri participated and sang for Peace, Reunification, and Reconciliation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. A concert that was characterized as a “political intervention in the Cypriot developments.”
Our dear friend Zülfü Livaneli,
Representing the friends of Mikis Theodorakis but also in a broader way the peaceful sentiments of the Greek people, I express our respect, love, and gratitude to you for your efforts in fostering Greek Turkish friendship in your country.
We hope and believe that your endeavours and struggles for the friendship between both nations and both countries will bear fruit in the immediate future. May Cyprus become a single and independent nation, and may Greece and Turkey peacefully resolve their differences based on international law, embarking on a path of
friendship, progress, and culture.
George Agorastakis
Athens, September 5, 2023