Oh, Youth...

Veli Ağbaba, the Malatya Member of Parliament, is one of the most followed politicians on social media. I always follow him as well. For about a month, Mr. Ağbaba had been announcing a post on his Instagram account with the caption "Fathers keep their word." He was explaining, "We conducted a survey among the youth in Malatya, and Semicenk emerged as the most requested artist." He was saying that he would bring Semicenk and his band to meet our youth as the second event for the 101st-anniversary celebrations of the Republic. "Fathers keep their word." I must admit, I was curious. Who is Semicenk? Have I listened to him before? I questioned myself, "Have I become this disconnected from the youth?"

I decided to go to Malatya for the concert. I like Malatya, too. Thinking I would also get to see my friends, I hopped on a plane and went. I flew to Malatya with a layover at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. On the morning of the concert, I walked around Malatya. A significant amount of the earthquake rubble has been cleared. However, there are still many buildings and apartment blocks waiting to be demolished. It has been 21 months, nearly 2 years, since the earthquake. They still need to be demolished, and they still need to be rebuilt! The old saying "Don't die, my donkey, don't die" comes to mind.

I saw that not much progress has been made regarding the promises given by the government. I also observed, as Ağbaba stated, that the morale and motivation of the people of Malatya are still very low. If it weren't for the university students, one could say that Malatya has the appearance of a quiet, abandoned city. It has been left to its own devices. That is what is felt. The trauma of the earthquake is truly still felt heavily.

I closely follow how much Veli Ağbaba struggles for Malatya and how hard he works to regain normal city life. The entire public has seen that the government, which turns into a machine for creating artificial agendas every day, is preparing a new plot against the national will with incredible games and schemes. Following the process that began with the arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer, all CHP MPs and mayors were called to Istanbul. For this reason, Ağbaba had to leave for Istanbul without being able to attend the concert. I attended the press conference where CHP Malatya Provincial Chair Barış Yıldız, party members, and some NGO leaders simultaneously condemned the arrest of the Esenyurt Mayor across the country. The sudden removal from office and arrest of a mayor elected with nearly 49% of the vote, followed by the immediate appointment of a trustee, was protested by a large group as a suspension of democracy.

When evening came and I went to the concert square, I was very surprised. The concert square of Malatya, whose streets were empty during the day, was packed to the brim.

Semicenk, who took the stage accompanied by a quite large orchestra, was only 26 years old. The fact that he has so many followers and hundreds of thousands of fans in such a short time surprised and excited me. Before the concert started, Veli Ağbaba gave an impactful and enthusiastic video speech. "I love children, the youth, Malatya, and all of you very much." A great round of applause erupted when he said that he does not discriminate among the youth of any view or color—nationalist, conservative, democratic, or leftist—and that he loves each and every one of them. He advised all the youth to protect democracy. He had gathered over five thousand young people in the concert square. A great success.

After the video speech, the artist Semicenk, who appeared on stage amidst light shows, was met with intense applause and displays of affection. Throughout the entire concert, hundreds of phones were recording while the youth held banners with loving slogans. It was worth seeing the youth singing the lyrics of songs I had almost never heard in unison from memory and accompanying the artist. I can say that not a single person left the square for about 2.5 to 3 hours.

Both Veli Ağbaba and Semicenk have established very strong bonds with the youth. I was impressed. I asked Google what the artist Semicenk, who won the hearts of the youth with very sympathetic movements and activities on stage, meant; a stage name was chosen that is both deep in meaning and pleasant to the ear.

The first part of Semicenk's stage name, "Semi," is a name of Arabic origin. It apparently means "one who hears, one who listens." The young talent Cenk Baş, known from the "O Ses Türkiye" (The Voice Turkey) competitions; his early songs include tracks like 'Yüzü Tanıdık Değil' (The Face is Not Familiar) and 'Kalbim Usandı' (My Heart is Tired). The genre of music the artist is interested in is listed as RAP in some sources and Dark Pop in others. While he was singing the track "Canın Sağ Olsun" (May You Be Well), I had to protect my ears from the screams and applause. It is impossible not to be impressed by this success in a famous artist I was not familiar with at all. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk did not entrust the Republic and our country to the youth for nothing. Long live the youth. For a bright Turkey, we will continue peace, solidarity, and the struggle in every environment and under every condition. Long live the Republic.

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR