Hesen Zîrek, who left indelible marks on the memory of Kurdish music, became one of the symbolic figures of an era not only through his powerful voice but also through a life story steeped in suffering. Acquainted from a young age with poverty, exile and loss, Zîrek channelled all the hardships he experienced into his melodies, finding a place in the collective memory of the Kurdish people. Despite a life spent amid exiles, prohibitions and repression, the artist, who left behind hundreds of works, continues to be remembered as one of the most powerful voices in Kurdish music.

 

The name “Zîrek” meaning “hardworking” in Kurdish, was a nickname given to him by his father. Over the years it transformed into an artistic identity that found its place in the memory of a people. Hesen Zîrek (Hesen Abdullah) was born in 1921 in the village of Hermele in the city of Bokan in Rojhilat Kurdistan (East Kurdistan, İran). Acquainted with life's heavy burden from a young age, Zîrek lost his father while still a child. Following his father's death and his mother's remarriage, he was forced to leave home.

 

Zîrek, who grew up in a poor family, moved with his family to Seqiz after his father’s death. Working as a shepherd and groom in villages from a young age, he worked in various jobs for many years to sustain himself. Following his struggle for survival, he returned to Hermele, the village where he was born. However, upon witnessing the oppression and cruelty of the village landlord toward the people there, he left his village and homeland and went to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Zîrek began working in a tavern in Baghdad, and he soon attracted the attention of those around him with his powerful voice. As he took to the stage, his fame spread by word of mouth. One of the turning points in his artistic life was his meeting with Adil İrfan. With İrfan's support, Zîrek began working at Baghdad Radio, where he recorded his first compositions.

 

REPRESSION, DETENTION AND TORTURE

 

The artist later returned to his hometown of Bokan, then moved to Mahabad. During this period, while the effects of the Second World War were being felt in the region, Britain and the Soviet Union intervened in Iran. During the same period, the Mahabad Kurdish Republic was established. Zîrek composed the anthem “Ey Niştiman,” which would later gain great fame, in order to immortalize the struggle of the Mahabad Republic and the resistance of the people. Following the collapse of the Mahabad Republic, Zîrek began working at Tehran Radio, where he continued his artistic production. In 1966, while living in Iran in order to record some of his works, he published a song/biography book titled "Çirîkey Kurdistan" (The Cry of Kurdistan) with the help of his wife Mediya Zandi.

 

Since broadcasting in Kurdish was prohibited during the Shah's era, an arrest warrant was issued against him by SAVAK, the Iranian intelligence organization, on charges of "espionage against the state." Hesen Zîrek then crossed into South Kurdistan to avoid arrest. After taking refuge in South Kurdistan, he formally applied to the Iraqi government for residency and asylum. However, the Iraqi government of the time rejected the artist's request. He was sentenced to six months in prison on the grounds that he had entered the country through illegal means. After serving 6 months in prison in Iraq, Hesen Zîrek was handed over to SAVAK, where he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture in the intelligence service's cells. SAVAK accused him of acting as an agent on behalf of Kurdish political movements and foreign states, subjecting him to torture during days of interrogation. As a result of SAVAK's pressure, Zîrek's position at Tehran Radio, where he had worked for years, was terminated and he was banned from working at state radio stations across Iran. Some sources indicate that Zîrek did not die of cancer but was poisoned by SAVAK with a slow-acting poison. Due to SAVAK's pressure on his family, Zîrek was forced to divorce his wife, whom he regarded as his companion, in order to protect his family.

 

HE PERFORMED POEMS BY DIFFERENT FIGURES

 

After distancing himself from music for a period following the hardships he experienced, the artist remarried in 1968 and began running a tea house. But music never completely left his life. During these years his works continued to be listened to on streets, in coffeehouses and in vehicles. Throughout his artistic life, Zîrek performed Kurdish songs on the radios of Tehran, Kermanshah and Baghdad, producing hundreds of works with words and music of his own. He also set to music the poems of important figures in Kurdish literature, including Pîremêrd, Hêmin, Nalî, Wefayî, Seyyid Kamil İmamî, Kurdî and Ahmed Herdî, performing them under different names.

 

HIS WORKS WERE ADAPTED INTO TURKISH

 

Some of Hesen Zîrek's works were adapted into different languages over the years. The anthem "Ey Niştiman," which the artist composed for the Mahabad Kurdish Republic and recorded in 1947, was adapted and rendered into Turkish in subsequent years. Likewise, Zîrek's work "Yallah Şufer" was adapted into Turkish in 1980 by Abdurrahman Kızılay, who is originally an Iraqi Turkmen. It was subsequently performed by İbrahim Tatlıses without attribution.

 

His song "Nesrîn Emrîm Bihare" was adapted into Turkish as "Ağlama Yar," while "Ciwanê Leyla" was adapted into Turkish as "Çavuş Kızı Leyla" in an album by Özcan Deniz. Zîrek's song "Eman Doxtor" also appeared as "Aman Doktor" in an album released by Candan Erçetin in 2005.

 

HE LEFT BEHIND 1,500 WORKS

 

Hesen Zîrek was diagnosed with cancer in 1972. The artist, who concealed his illness from those around him for a long time, passed away on 26 June 1972. Zîrek was buried in Bokan, where he was born and raised, in accordance with his will. Hesen Zîrek, who throughout his life struggled against political repression, exile and economic hardship, left behind approximately 1,500 works. Despite the passing of decades, his works continue to rank among the most important legacies of Kurdish music.

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut