Zülfü Livaneli responds to claims he was paid for DİSK concert: 'Money was never my concern'

Zülfü Livaneli took the stage at the 57th-anniversary events of DİSK. Livaneli responded on his social media account to the claim that he earned money from the DİSK concert, which he performed at for solidarity: "Our concern was never money. You wouldn't believe the offers we turned down. We didn't get rich, but we remained honorable."

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DİSK's 57th anniversary was celebrated at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Şişli, Istanbul.

During the events, Zülfü Livaneli took the stage with the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.

'WE ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE'

Speaking before the concert, Livaneli said, "My friends and I are very happy to be here because there has been a 100-year-old working-class struggle in Turkey dating back to the 1920s. This is not easy. As a young revolutionary, I had the chance to meet our great legend Kemal Türkler. And of course, Süleyman Çelebi became one of my close friends."

Master artist Zülfü Livaneli reacted sharply on his social media account to the claim that he earned money from the DİSK concert, which he performed at for solidarity.

'WE DID NOT GET RICH BUT WE REMAINED HONORABLE'

Livaneli stated, "Money was never my concern. You wouldn't believe the offers we turned down. We didn't get rich, but we remained honorable. Besides, let alone getting rich, we lived a middle-class life as intellectual laborers throughout our lives.

We were able to get by by borrowing and lending money with many friends such as Ahmet Arif, Yaşar Kemal, Ülkü Tamer, and Onat Kutlar."

"My records started topping the charts when I was 25, but I bought my first (second-hand) Doğan car after I turned forty. I bought my 90 m2 house in a muddy cooperative even later. With the loan Yaşar brother gave me," he added.