Musician gives street concerts for elderly in Turkey’s east

TUNCELİ

A musician living in the eastern province of Tunceli’s Ovacık district is giving morale to people over the age of 65, who are restricted to go out as part of COVID-19 measures, by playing saz and singing in front of their houses.

The 23-year-old musician Tolga Akgül decided to give a concert on the streets to delight other elderly people who were bored at home, like his grandmother, who is 65 years old.

Akgül, who goes out to the street at certain times of the day and maintains the social distance, plays the saz and sings popular folk songs to the elderly who go to their doors, balconies or windows to listen to him.

“Although our district is small, our people acted consciously about the coronavirus and stayed at their homes. They isolated themselves at home. We are going through a difficult time and our elderly get bored at home. This is why I did this,” Akgül said.

Akgül, who said that the elderly enjoyed his company, said that he usually sang Alevi folk songs and sang the songs of legendary folk singers Aşık Veysel, Zaralı Halil and Davud Sulari.

Nafiye Erdoğan, 72, who cannot leave her house, thanked Akgül, saying that he lifted her mood with the music and that she had a pleasant time.