Music researcher claims 4,971 Kurdish songs were re-recorded as Turkish

Music researcher Veisi Barli has reported that 4,971 Kurdish songs have been appropriated and attributed to Turkish artists or recorded as Turkish music. Following an extensive examination of an archive containing approximately 28,000 compositions, Barli stated in an interview with Dijle TV that these works were presented under Turkish names rather than being recognized as Kurdish heritage.

Barli highlighted the traditional song ‘Leylo Leylo Zrave,’ commonly performed in Diyarbakir, as an example. He noted that Turkish singer Yıldız Tilbe and others have released versions under different titles without adequately acknowledging the song's Kurdish origins. The researcher warned that his extensive archive of documented cases is at risk of being lost due to neglect and emphasized the urgent need to preserve and publicize these findings to protect Kurdish musical heritage.