"My Music Brings Together Dede Efendi and Mozart"

With a vocal range of four octaves, Yildiz Ibrahimova is one of her country's most outstanding jazz singers. This Bulgarian-born jazz singer of Turkish descent blends Bulgarian−Turkish folk music with jazz, avant-garde, and freely improvised vocal pieces. Hülya Sancak sends us this interview

Yildiz Ibrahimova (photo: Hülya Sancak) — Yildiz Ibrahimova's repertoire encompasses Mozart and Dede Efendi

Ms Ibrahimova, do you feel more Bulgarian or more Turkish?

Yildiz Ibrahimova: I was born in Bulgaria and grew up there. I also completed all of my studies there. I feel Bulgarian-Turkish and I consider that to be an enrichment and a huge advantage for me. I am not of either the Bulgarian or the Turkish culture; I am of both. I sing songs that my grandmother taught me. These songs are folk songs from Rumelia (the Balkan regions of the Ottoman Empire − ed.) that are between 500 and 600 years old. Very few people know these songs, but once they hear them, they understand how closely related they are.

Does music break down borders?

Ibrahimova: The borders came after the music. All of these regions are in fact ethnic regions. Let me give you one example: Bulgarian Thrace and Turkish Thrace are cultural units that are situated very close to one another. But politicians insist on drawing artificial lines, thereby carving up villages and cities, separating people, and breaking up families. There are so many tragic examples of this in the world today. On the other hand, music unites everything. Art is a very important glue for cultures.

How would you describe your music?

Ibrahimova: I revel in my freedom and I express this joy in my music. I work with many international artists. I don't just make music for a specific ethnic group: my repertoire includes songs from the renaissance period and by Bach, Mozart, and Dede Efendi. I have brought Dede Efendi and Mozart together in my music. In other words, my musical range is very broad.

I also recorded an album for children featuring both European and Turkish songs. I create a cultural blend. After all, we have gained so much from each other and mutually influenced each other. Neither culture started out from scratch.

What do the Europeans think of Turkey?

Ibrahimova: If I am in Paris and an educated person asks me "What alphabet do the Turkish people use? Do they not use Arabic characters?" then I am very disappointed in that person. People can learn. If one really wants to get to know a place or people, one has to read, do some research. But if one only wants to have one's prejudices confirmed, one has to close one's eyes and ignore the truth.

Can politics effectively fight prejudices?

Ibrahimova: Politics should not get involved at all! And I say that as the wife of a politician. In music, borders dissolve. It would be wonderful if politics could be as much of a unifying glue as music is, but at the end of the day, one has to build cultural bridges. That is very important.

To what extent do you build cultural bridges with your music?

Ibrahimova: I sing in a lot of different languages: Bulgarian, Turkish, Ladino, Russian, Italian, English, Romanian … this allows me to reach a wide audience. My message is tolerance. This cultural heritage belongs to us all; we must protect it. However, in order to do so, we have to familiarise ourselves with our differences. If we get to know what it means to "be different", we can accept one another instead of reacting so negatively to each other.

Interview conducted by Hülya Sancak

Translated from the German by Aingeal Flanagan

Qantara.de

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