“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.

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 -
Bal1kesir, 0stanbul 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,
denial and educational restrictions in Turkey for decades.