Theater play portrays life of late journalist

ISTANBUL-Anatolia News Agency

A Kurdish play featuring the life of murdered journalist Musa Anter was staged Feb. 8 at Kumbaracı50 in Istanbul’s Taksim. The single-person play was staged by Theater Avesta with Turkish translation.

The play titled “Araf / İki Ülke Arasında” (Araf / Between Two Countries), which was previously performed in Sweden and at the International Ankara Theater Festival, also draws attention to unsolved murders. The play was written by Cihan Şan and Aydın Orak performs the monologue.

At the end of the performance Orak, who is also the director of the play, was presented a plaque.
Speaking to Anatolia news agency, Orak claimed the murderers of Anter had not been tried although they were known. “This play has been written to remember the case of Musa Anter. There has not been even small progress in the case for years. Unfortunately, the perpetrators and murderers are still among us.
The play shows Anter’s political manner and colorful life.”

Orak said Anter was a peace envoy between Turkish and Kurdish intellectuals, and asked, “Why was Anter, who had more Turkish friends than Kurdish friends, murdered?”

Anter was born in the Eskimağra village in the eastern province of Mardin. He studied at junior and senior high school in Adana. When he was a student, he travelled to Syria during his summer holidays where he became acquainted with Kurdish nationalist intellectuals.

He was assassinated Sept. 20, 1992, in Diyarbakır.