THE SORROW OF GURBET*

Workers who had to leave behind their families in Turkey to find employment in Germany met each other in songs. This is the story of the generations who have spent their lives in the in-between; those living between foreign lands and home, and the families live apart. 

* Turkish for “foreign land.” Gurbet not only designates a geographical location but also implies the emotional distance from home. Stemming from the Arabic garb, it means “west” as well as “sunset.” The verb garaba also has its root in the same word, meaning “to be removed; to be an alien.”