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Freemuse Award 2010 winners announced
Posted on March 22nd, 2010 in World Music by Songlines.
Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat and Turkish-Kurdish singer and activist Ferhat Tunç have jointly won the 2010 Freemuse Award. They will receive the award at a ceremony in London on March 25.
Freemuse – the independent international organisation advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers – recognised the singers for their strong defence of freedom of musical expression.
The Award Committee on Mahsa Vahdat:
“Mahsa Vahdat continues to resist all pressures that the conservative sectors of Iranian society put on woman musicians. Despite such pressures Iran has a remarkably vibrant music scene that ridicules the clichés that are often written about the country, and Mahsa is a fabulous example of this. Last year, she recorded an album with Mighty Sam McClain, an artist from the ‘enemy nation’ – the US. Her courage and bold resistance in continuing to follow her artistic muse makes her an ideal laureate.”
The Award Committee on Ferhat Tunç:
“For almost three decades Ferhat Tunç has insisted on exercising his right to perform his music in spite of several court cases and other threats against him. He has continued to sing songs in the minority language Zaza (Dimli) and in Kurmanci (Kurdish) as well as in Turkish. He has refused in a firm way to succumb to all the intimidations, but without expressing any hatred against his perpetrators. Ferhat has actively propagated the strengthening of human rights and democracy in Turkey.”
Both artists are featured on the new Freemuse CD Listen to the Banned.
