Nazım Hikmet to be remembered in Germany

COLOGNE – Doğan News Agency

Turkish poet and writer Nazım Hikmet will be commemorated on the 114th anniversary of his birth with a large event in Essen, Germany, on Jan. 31. 

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu; artist and writer Zülfü Livaneli; actors Tarık Akan and Rutkay Aziz; poet-writer Ataol Behramoğlu; journalist Nebil Özgentürk; writer Sunay Akın and producer Dilek Dündar are expected to attend the event along with a number of German politicians. Turkish band Kardeş Türküler will give a concert at the event at the 7,000-person capacity Essen Grugahalle, which will be presented by Turkish theater actor Levent Üzümcü. 

Speaking ahead of the event, CHP Cologne Association President Günay Çapan said Turkish journalist Can Dündar was also invited to attend the event but cannot attend due to his continued arrest for an article.

“Can Dündar is at the same time the person who made a documentary on Nazım. His documentary will be presented by his wife, Dilek. Also, she will sign Dündar’s books,” Çapan said. 

Dündar, editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, and its senior editor, Erdem Gül, were arrested on Nov. 26 last year over the publication of footage purporting to show Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) helping send weapons to Syria. 

The fee for the event is 10 euros, said Çapan, adding that Livaneli would perform a few songs composed by Nazım Hikmet’s poems.