Ceren Balaban
The year 2023 has been declared as the year to commemorate Âşık Veysel by UNESCO, marking the 50th anniversary of his death. The Turkish Literature and Poetry Research Community of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, organized a program titled "Âşık Veysel, the Strong Synthesis of the Republic, What Does He Tell Us on His 50th Death Anniversary?" in the Fevzi Köksal Conference Hall.
The program featured Prof. Dr. Bekir Şişman, a faculty member of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Mustafa Bilir (Âşık Obalı), who performed Âşık Veysel's ballads.
Prof. Dr. Bekir Şişman, who spoke about the life of Âşık Veysel, who clung to life despite his hardships, said, "There are some bards whose words transcend their own era and speak to future generations. Âşık Veysel is one such folk poet. Although Veysel lost his physical sight at a young age, he never lost hope and managed to see the world, people, and events with the eye of his heart. In addition to his poems about love, nature, spirituality, country, Turkism, Islam, and humanity, his works often prioritize the issues of ignorance, poverty, and conflict, which he considered the most important for Turkish society, and he voiced these issues in his complaint-style poems. Conversely, he also recommended education, reading, factory establishment, production, and unity in his advisory poems as solutions to these problems."
Continuing his speech, Prof. Dr. Bekir Şişman noted that Âşık Veysel's poems offered not only problems but also solutions: "In his poems, Veysel not only articulated the problems of the Turkish people living in Anatolia but also did not hesitate to present solutions. We need to reconsider the issues Veysel saw with his heart, contemplated with his conscience, and expressed with his saz, as well as the solutions he proposed. Veysel emphasized certain moral norms in his socially oriented poems, particularly respecting ancestors and elders and showing compassion to the young. However, he lamented the erosion of this respect and love due to changing world and societal conditions. He expressed concern about this situation and complained about the degradation of moral values and people's laziness. All humanity needs the words and teachings of Âşık Veysel."
In the second part of the program, Mustafa Bilir (Âşık Obalı) performed five different ballads of Âşık Veysel live. The program was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş, faculty members, and numerous students.
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