Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz: It is not well-intentioned for Germany to stage such an opera

The opera titled “Atatürk – Die Legende von Mustafa Kemal,” which the Stuttgart State Opera plans to stage in its 2027 season, has sparked major controversy in Germany even before its premiere. Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz also made striking remarks regarding the opera, which was first brought to the public agenda in Turkey by 12punto.

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Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz: It is not well-intentioned for Germany to stage such an opera

Gürdeniz began his assessment on his social media account with the words: "The 'Atatürk – The Legend of Mustafa Kemal' opera, which the Germany/Stuttgart State Opera plans to stage on April 10, 2027, is not an ordinary artistic event."

Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz used the following expressions in his social media statement:

The opera's official promotional text reveals this personally. It is stated that in the promotion, Atatürk will be addressed through the axes of his "claim to authoritarian power," nationalism, exile, violence, and historical crimes, and that a narrative will be constructed in German, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, French, Greek, and English.

It is not well-intentioned for Germany to stage such an opera.

With what historical and moral superiority do the so-called artists of Germany—a country that caused two separate world wars and the deaths of millions of innocent people, was occupied by the USA after 1945, still struggles to act completely independently in foreign policy today, and cannot even hold anyone accountable for the Nord Stream sabotage— attempt to judge in an opera Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded the independent Republic of Turkey by waging a War of Independence from the wreckage of a collapsed empire, turned subjects into citizens and the ummah into a nation, and transformed a country on the brink of the abyss, waiting to be exiled to Central Asia, into a secular and modern state?

Moreover, this initiative is not a coincidence. Over the last twenty years, Atatürk has been rediscovered in Turkey, especially by younger generations, the nation's devotion to its Ancestor has increased its visibility in every environment, and the same interest has rapidly strengthened among Turkish youth in Europe.

It is precisely in this period that an opera attempting to redefine Atatürk's historical legacy through concepts such as "authoritarianism" is being sought to be staged.

When one remembers the political atmosphere in which Germany has evaluated Turkey for many years through ethnic and sectarian fault lines, its approach toward the PKK, and the circulation of projects in the past that called Turkey's integrity into question, such as the "Anatolian Federal Islamic Republic," this opera should not be seen merely as an artistic work.

Even the promotional poster shown below already gives clues about the opera's libretto. Instead of representing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, an anonymous and identity-less figure with no connection to historical reality has been preferred. Beyond an aesthetic choice, this is an attempt to consciously symbolize and reconstruct a historical figure. The same understanding is the visual reflection of the flawed approach in the promotional text that tries to read Atatürk through his "claim to authoritarian power." In short, the message given before the work is staged is clear. The goal is not to tell history, but to reinterpret it.

The Turkish public has reacted to films, documentaries, and cultural campaigns produced through Armenian, Pontic, and similar claims until today. has shown reaction.

On this matter as well, the necessary reaction process has been initiated on social media and by our citizens living in Germany. However, this must be sustained.

A strong and democratic public opinion must be formed on social media, and every citizen must take responsibility on legitimate and legal grounds to ensure that the Stuttgart Opera does not stage this work.

The "Atatürk – The Legend of Mustafa Kemal" opera, which the Germany/Stuttgart State Opera plans to stage on April 10, 2027, is not an ordinary artistic event.

The opera's official promotional text reveals this personally. In the promotion, Atatürk's "claim to authoritarian power," nationalism,... pic.twitter.com/A14daYDz1i
— Cem GÜRDENİZ (@cemgurdeniznet) July 27, 2026