Manço’s house now becomes a museum

LIEGE - Anatolia News Agency

Barış Manço. Hürriyet photo.

The house in which legendary Turkish singer, composer and television producer Barış Manço lived for a number of years before his death in 1999, has been converted into a museum.

The opening ribbon for the Liege Barış House was cut Oct. 8 at a ceremony by Barış House Association Chair Aslı Gülerman and a Belgian parliamentary deputy of Turkish heritage, Mahinur Özdemir.

Jean-Pierre Hupkens, a deputy mayor of Liege Municipality who is responsible for culture, as well as Belgian and Turkish artists, representatives of nongovernmental organizations and Manço fans attended the ceremony.

Conspicuously, however, nobody from Manço’s family was present at the ceremony.

“[Their absence] made us sorry. There is a misunderstanding and we could not solve it. But Barış Manço should not pay its cost,” said Gülerman.

She said a big step had been taken with the opening of the Barış Manço House. “We received a positive result from the Liege Municipality when we first applied for the museum. We are also thinking of having talks with the Turkish Culture Ministry in the near future,” Gülerman said.

She said turning the house into a museum would make relations between Turkey and Belgium stronger, adding that French and Turkish language courses, as well as folk dances courses, would be given in the museum with the support of the municipality.

Architect and artist Mustafa Çavuşoğlu said he met Manço during a flight. “As a fan of Barış Manço, I do my best to come to this house and give lessons on Turkish Sufi music.”

Explaining his choice not to support the project, Manço’s son, Doğukan Manço, made a statement, saying: “Even though the association is not responsible, I am very sorry that some objects of my father, which were in the house that was owned by others for some time, have been put on sale on the Internet. Similar unpleasant things discouraged me from supporting this project.”