Bejan Matur
(Turkey, 1968) is of Kurdish descent. In 2011 Dağın Ardına Bakmak (Looking Behind the Mountain) appeared, for which she took to the mountains to interview PKK rebels, the first time a writer sketched the personal stories and traumas of the Kurdish fighters. In 2011 Doğunun Kapısı: Diyarbakır (The Gate of the East: Diyarbakir) also appeared, a portrait of the 3000 year old capital of Kurdistan. As a columnist for the English language newspaper Zaman Matur writes regularly about the Kurdish question. In addition she chairs the Diyarbakır Cultural Art Foundation. She also leads social projects for women, children and adolescents and makes a tv-programme on culture, art and politics. She read law at the University of Ankara. Since the publication of her first book of poetry in 1996, Rüzgâr Dolu Konaklar (Wind-Filled Countryhouses) she has created her own mythology - inspired by age-old Sufi traditions from the region of her birth. Meanwhile she has six books of poetry to her name and an anthology with poems she translated. Her work has been translated in seventeen languages.
(WU 2012)Archive available for: Bejan Matur
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Declic: Prospects of Dialogue in Post Chaos Time
With: Abdelfettah Kilito, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Youssouf Amine Elalamy
How were the dialogues between the antagonistic parties and ideas reconceived in the post chaotic times in the past? What are our prospects today for a post-chaotic world? How can we prepare for it intellectually?
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Chaos and Dialogue
With: Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Mohamed Achaari, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Taieb Belghazi
Can the rapid changes occurring in the world since the early 21st century (financial crises, the Arab Spring and its aftermaths, the Ukrainian crisis, refugees, terrorism...) be qualified as chaos? What are the (relevant, useful, helpful, hopeful...) questions that are can be raised in this context in a cross-cultural dialogue?
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Authority and Dialogue
With: Abdelhay Moudden, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Driss Ksikes, Iman Humaydan, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
A panel discussion, including readings by the participating authors. On what basis can we identify the souces of 'authority' in a dialogue across nations? Morality? Expertise? International Law? Ideologies? Esthetics? On what basis do we settle the question of right and wrong. Do such concepts as multiculturalism, pluralism, diversity, tolerance still hold? Moderated by Abdelhay Moudden. The Moroccan participants will be published later this week.
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Travelling Ideas
With: Abdellatif Khayati, Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Khalid Bekkaoui, Nelleke Noordervliet, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Sadiq Rddad, Souad Slaoui, Youssef Tibesse
A programme in Fez University. Ideas have always travelled, of course. Is globalization and glocalization impacting the nature, the content, the directions, the impact...) of the travelling ideas in a fundamental way? Or is the business of travels as usual?
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When Ideas Change
With: Andrej Koerkov, Bejan Matur, Iman Humaydan, Khadija Merouazi, Mourad Mkinsi, Najib Bounahai, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
The shifts in the political positions that we are undergoing in the last few years: rise of extremisms and fundamentalisms, decline of the left, mounting nationalisms; can they be interpreted through the lenses of history, of past events, or are they unprecedented? Are these changing ideas signaling unprecedented changes yet to come?
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Meet & Greet Bejan Matur in Theater Concordia
With: Bejan Matur
An informal meeting with this important poet and columnist of Kurdish descent, organised in cooperation with Stichting Mooi. Bejan will talk about her work, and there is ample opportunity for questions. The meeting will be in Kurdish and Turkish. Bejan has written a great deal about the plight of the Kurds. She was the first to publish the personal stories and traumas of Kurdish fighters. She also wrote a portrait of Diyarbakir, the 3000 year-old Kurdish capital. As a columnist for the English language newspaper Zaman Matur regularly writes about the Kurdish cause. She chairs the Diyarbakır Cultural Art Foundation. She conducts social projects for women, children and adolescents and makes tv programmes about culture, art and politics. Since the publication of her first collection of poetry in 1996, Rüzgâr Dolu Konaklar (Wind-Filled Mansions) she has created her own mythology - inspired by age-old Sufi traditions from her native region. Meanwhile she has six collections of poetry to her name and an anthology of poems she translated herself. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages.
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Oxfam Novib PEN Awards
With: Bejan Matur, Hassnae Bouazza, Kader Abdolah, Leila Chudori, Lionel Veer, Tom van der Lee
With the PEN Awards, Oxfam Novib and PEN Nederland honour writers, journalists and film makers who, going against the tide and sometimes risking their own lives, search for the truth and spread it. Tom van der Lee, of Oxfam Novib, gives a brief introduction about the significance and the importance of the price. After the award presentation by Dutch human rights ambassador Veer, writers from various parts of the world talk to each other about women's rights and sexuality. Hassnae Bouazza talks to Leila Chudori, who tells about the antiporn legislation in Indonesia, and to Bejan Matur on honour killings in Turkey. Are these practices a result of increasing Islamisation or is there another cause? Can women publish about these things in their home countries? With a final word from Kader Abdolah. In English.
Hassnae Bouazza replaces Naema Tahir, who had to cancel for health reasons. -
Poetry and Politics
A Lebanese and a Turkish writer, who, apart from being a poet and a writer, happen to be concerned columnists. A conversation about their work, their political stand and literary commitment. In English.
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Writers reading
Enjoy the work of the writers you have come to see. They read old and new work. Without further ado and without discussion. In English.
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VPRO De Avonden
In the square in front of the theatre there is De Kas. The whole evening Jeroen van Kan talks with writers at the festival for the VPRO radio programme De Avonden Live. Visitors are allowed to peek freely and listen in. In Dutch and English.
21.17: Bernice Chauly
21.35: Ghalia Benali
22.05: Bejan Matur
22.15: Rodaan Al Galidi and Chika Unigwe
22.35: Nazmiye Oral and Kader Abdolah -
Writers Conference - part 2
With: Anil Ramdas, Bejan Matur, Gündüz Vassaf, Hakan Gunday, Hamdi Koç, Hassan Daoud, Melida Tüzünoglu, Ramsey Nasr, Ronelda S. Kamfer
Final session of a two day closed writer's meeting with the four writers travelling on invitation of Winternachten, and four Turkish writers: Bejan Matur, Hakan Gunday, Hamdi Koc and Melida Tuzunoglu, on the theme Global writing - global conscience. The sessions are chaired by writer Gündüz Vassaf.
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Writers Conference - part 1
With: Anil Ramdas, Bejan Matur, Gündüz Vassaf, Hakan Gunday, Hamdi Koç, Hassan Daoud, Melida Tüzünoglu, Ramsey Nasr, Ronelda S. Kamfer
Start of a two day closed writer's meeting with the four writers travelling on invitation of Winternachten, and four Turkish writers: Bejan Matur, Hakan Gunday, Hamdi Koc and Melida Tuzunoglu, on the theme Global writing - global conscience. The sessions are chaired by writer Gündüz Vassaf.