SOUNDS OF GURBET*

Turkish migrant workers expressed their troubles through music. Some took their saz and sang about their experiences, some wrote letters to their loved ones, some of them developed political visions for the future. This event is about the reflections of migrant workers, in and outside of Turkey, in the 1950s and early 60s.

* 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.”