Najmadin Xulami’s New Album to Pay Tribute to Roboski Victims
22/09/2012 RUDAW – By ROJ ELI ZALLA – Xulami traveled to the United States to participate in the first Kurdish Art Festival in Nashville.
Renowned Kurdish singer Najmadin Xulami was born in Sina city in Iranian Kurdistan in March 1958. At a young age, Xulami started singing and producing music. His music became popular among Kurds in both Iran and Iraq.
Between 1972 and 2010, Xulami produced 23 albums. Besides singing and producing, Xulami is a political activist. He has spent years among the Kurdish guerrillas fighting for the liberation of Kurdistan.
Recently, Xulami traveled to the United States to participate in the first Kurdish Art Festival in Nashville, Tennessee where Rudaw met him for an interview. Xulami spoke about his music and said that his next album will contain a tribute to the Roboski victims — 34 Kurdish villagers who were killed on the Turkey-Kurdistan Region border last year in a Turkish airstrike.
Rudaw: First of all, how have you found the festival?
“Foreigners attend our festival, and therefore we have to present a good image of our culture, music and arts.”
Najmadin Xulami: I am glad to see such a festival where youths are showing their loyalty to their culture, people and homeland. However, judging from the first day of the festival, there are some obvious shortcomings. I hope, in the coming years, festival organizers consult with us in order to eliminate such shortcomings. Foreigners attend our festival, and therefore we have to present a good image of our culture, music and arts. This is not to say the festival has to be perfect, but like I said I hope in the coming years the shortcomings are eliminated and the festival organizers benefit from experienced individuals when organizing the festival.
Rudaw: Did you come from Sweden just to participate in the festival or were you in the U.S. already?
Najmadin Xulami: No, I was not in the U.S. I volunteered to come here to participate in the festival. The organizers called many artists, but unfortunately not many accepted their invitation. However, not everything should be based on money. A group of young men have organized this festival and we have to support them. Artists also have to be responsible and help things like this in order to better serve the nation.
Rudaw: Can I ask why you haven’t had much musical activity in the past few years?
Najmadin Xulami: You know what kind of situation Kurdish music is going through nowadays. There is no support. But despite all that, I am currently working on a new album. By the end of the current year, or certainly by the next year’s Newroz, it will be complete. So far I have done whatever I can. I hope the people and the related agencies support authentic music. Music creates a patriotic sense among the people; therefore, I hope Kurdistan values music.
Rudaw: How many tracks does the new album include and what are the songs about?
Najmadin Xulami: It has about 12 tracks. Five of them are odes and the rest are songs. I hope the album satisfies my fans.
Rudaw: Is it the same album you said you were working on last summer?
Najmadin Xulami: Yes, it is that one.
Rudaw: But it was supposed to be completed a long time ago.
Najmadin Xulami: With music you only know your start time. You do not know when you will finish. In fact, many factors contributed to the delay of my album. I had to collect my musicians from different countries. I had to go back to Kurdistan to shoot some of the videos. I have to shoot some others in Holland and Sweden. I have to get all these things done; it takes some time.
“As long as Kurdistan is suppressed — any part of Kurdistan — I will continue my struggle and serve those parties that serve the national interest.”
Rudaw: What are the odes about? Are any of them in the Kurmanji dialect?
Najmadin Xulami: Kurmanji, no. But one of them is to the Roboski martyrs, to those kids who were killed by the Turkish jets when they were working on the border to make a living for their families. nother one is to the Qandil Mountains. Another ode is to Kurdistan, in which Kurdistan talks to the world and asks why they have carved her up into four pieces. Lastly, another one is to martyrs. The rest of the album is love songs.
Rudaw: You have your own show on Newroz TV. You sing for Qandil, and participate in Newroz celebrations in Northern (Turkey) Kurdistan. Do these show any political ideology or political affiliation?
Najmadin Xulami: Yes, they do show political affiliation, but no political party affiliation. Any group or party that serves the people and our homeland and pays attention to our national issue I will be more than happy to serve. However, it has been a long time since I left party politics. But I will never leave politics. As long as Kurdistan is suppressed — any part of Kurdistan — I will continue my struggle and serve those parties that serve the national interest. I see the people of Southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan are as patriotic as the people of Northern (Turkish) Kurdistan. They too are conducting a mass revolution. I wish them success. However, I believe the door to the liberation of Kurdistan lies in Northern Kurdistan. That is my personal opinion.
Rudaw: Due to your work and visits to Qandil, do you face problems in Turkey?
Najmadin Xulami: I am a Swedish citizen. They cannot create problems for me. In my shows on Newroz TV, I always talk about how wrong Turkish policies conducted against the Kurds are and about the Turkish mass murder of Kurds. I talk about all the other occupying regimes, like Iran and Syria. I am not worried about problems from certain countries. For a long time, I was fighting in the fronts where death was expected at any given moment. I believe I owe my nation my life; therefore, I have no worries in serving this nation.