Tarkan Remembers Founding Father

Posted by Steffan Matrak from Moscow, Russia

The Turkish Republic commemorated the 79th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, with official and unofficial ceremonies across the country today.

UPDATE: Tarkan commemorates 80th anniversary >>

In remembrance of the founding father's passing, Tarkan shared a video on social media with the hashtag #10Kasım. Alongside a picture of the soldier and statesman, Tarkan can be heard singing a rendition of the folksong "Kırmızı Gülün Alı Var" (Crimson is the Red Rose) to the lyrics "this heart longs for you".

The choice of song reveals the artist has a strong knowledge of Atatürk and his musical taste, choosing a folksong from the 20th Century leader's region of Rumelia - the area now referred to as the Balkans when it was administered by the Ottoman Empire.

The news comes on the back of inventor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's visit to the national hero's memorial in Ankara on the eve of the founder's death. Sharing a few posts during his visit on social media, Musk's posts were liked by a million people, while tweeting sayings from Atatürk that demonstrated his reverence for science.

Atatürk died on 10 November, 1938 at the age of 57 in Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul due to health problems. Sirens are sounded at 09:05 a.m., the exact time of his death, every 10 November, while flags fly at half-mast and a minute's silence is observed across the country.

Tarkan Reminds Followers of Women's Rights

In today's political climate in Turkey, a longing for the founding father of the country could be interpreted as a subtle subtext to return Turkey towards Europe and secularism, and away from Islamic populism.

In this increasingly authoritarian climate, Tarkan posted a #tbt post yesterday to remind his followers to stop violence against women.

"I woke up again with news of violence against a lot of women," Tarkan wrote under a 2013 image, calling for an end to silence and to shout "No" to violence against women.

"Let's call for the legal authorities to punish those who cause the death of women, those who violate women. Let us all support women who are exposed to violence. Let's say stop," said the singer, who has been campaigning for women's rights for years.

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