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In 1987, Serhad successfully graduated from high school,
at a time when the Turkish Military carried a massive operation
against the Kurdish fighters. While staying at Bursa, the
mentioned operation carried by the Turkish forces roused
Serhad from his deep sleep and he began understanding the
Kurdish struggle for our identity.
After graduating high school, he attended the National
Academic Conservatory of Ege in Izmir to further his knowledge
about music. He studied Saz and Tar [an instrument played
by Azeris]. Along with Tar and Saz, he also learned Guitar
and Flute. Among 1800 students, Serhad managed graduating
with honors and he was ranked in the second place over
the conservatory.
While attending the conservatory, he began understanding
the importance of the rule of Art in any struggle. He began
researching different topics about Kurdish Art. With an
interest in the regions of Botan and Serhad, one of his
research theses was: The rule of Kurdish Artists and Art
in the Kurdish Struggle. In February of 1991, a warrant
was issued by the Turkish Authorities to arrest him for
openly holding discussions about the political issues,
such as the Kurdish struggle. However, Serhad never submitted
himself to the state; he intensified his discussions bringing
up truths about the Kurdish issue.
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In February 23, 1991, Serhad was finally
married to his school sweetheart, Yildiz. The wedding ceremony
took place at Kivril, Denizili. A short
while after their marriage, Serhad and his wife officially joined
the Kurdish Freedom Struggle and defected the Turkish authorities
in July of the same year. Serhad’s wife Yildiz was arrested
in Botan and was sentenced to be imprisoned for 12 and half years
by the Turkish State. The incident obviously affected Serhad morally
and emotionally, but he never gave up himself and was even more determined
to fight for a legitimate cause. Afterwards, Serhad went to Heftenin,
near Zaxo, which is located in Southern Kurdistan. In Heftenin, Serhad
attended Mahsun Korkmaz Academy. Due to his educational background
on music, Serhad was sent to Europe to organize the Kurdish music.
When Serhad arrived in Europe, he created a distinguishable
transformation in Kurdish music due to his professionalism
in the music field. Furthermore, he was able to express
his thoughts freely in Europe and he had a better technical
support to improve his Art and music capabilities.
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However, he insisted on saying:
“For a struggler, returning
to the homeland is an assignment. We have a broad-based
source of art
[referring to the Kurdish music]. We must return home
to preserve our art. It is our assignment to renew
it, and prevent it from losing. If we give it up, it
will eventually be owned by Turks!”
In 1996, Serhad fulfilled his promise and
returned home, leaving Europe behind himself. For a few
months he stayed
in Zap, and then he joined the Cultural Center of Mesopotamia
in Hewler. In Southern Kurdistan, he attended many concerts
and performed in many other events. He maintained his activities
to preserve the Kurdish art in Southern Kurdistan and eventually
joined The Orchestra of Suleymani’s Academy of Art
as a Saz player. But due to political instabilities in
Southen Kurdistan, Serhad was forced to leave and head
to Northern Kurdistan.
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