DURKET SÜREN

Trabzon- While gender roles differentiate the professions and lifestyles of the genders, going beyond the taught codes makes it possible to go beyond the frame. As traditions and social structures, particularly in small settlements consider women as, “mother” and “wife”, women go beyond that frame drawn for them and integrate their stories with their lands, folk songs, and struggles. We have witnessed how a musician integrates nature with her art in the Black Sea region. We are guests of İlknur Yakupoğlu saying, “This region is the region of Amazon women, struggling is our tradition.”

She started composing in primary school

Born in Tonya district of Trabzon province, İlknur Yakupoğlu grew up in a crowded family making a living from livestock and having an interest in art. She considers her family's interest in art as her biggest chance. Stating that she has been questioning the world and the female and male structure in the family since the age of 10, İlknur started composing in primary school while rocking her brother's cradle. Her adventure began by playing baglama and then kemancha, a symbol of the Black Sea region. 

Music has always been in her life

While sharing her rural-city conflict with us, she keeps talking about her memory from her childhood, “When I lived elsewhere, I faced the title of 'villager'. When I was a child, I loved spending time with old people and listening to their stories. I always loved music, for me, it was like a magic wand. As a family making a living from livestock, we all shared works. One day, my grandmother told me, “If you make it feel that you love it and sing a song while milking a cow, it will give more milk.” I tried and I found out how she was right. She also sang very nice fold songs” İlknur adds, “Music is the meaning of life for me.” After working in a big city, İlknur kept singing. 

They are Amazon women

She asked herself what she could do for Black Sea music and culture and then she followed the folk songs and she started performing in this way.

“I like those who have stories and can tell something in all fields of art. I played and sang the folk songs in my three music cassettes compiled by me. The women of this region have very advanced theatrical aspects. They're awesome and you learn from them what you can't learn from any book about life. You learn many things in a short quatrain they sing. For me, all women living here are Amazon women wearing waistcloths. They are warriors, hardworking and strong women. They inspire me to pass the folk songs down.”

“Playing kemancha is not suitable for women”

As İlknur Yakupoğlu started performing her music, she faced many difficulties. “Surely, I faced many difficulties because people think that playing kemancha is not suitable for women. I faced many criticisms. One day, someone told me ‘aren't you ashamed to play kemancha as a woman’. I got angry and told him, “You look at women carrying loads on their back and you aren’t ashamed, why should I be ashamed? I am not ashamed; I want to be the voice of women.”