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ISTANBUL: Master of oud of Armenian descent announces return to his

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  • ISTANBUL: Master of oud of Armenian descent announces return to his

    Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
    March 30 2013

    Master of oud of Armenian descent announces return to his hometown, Diyarbak�±r

    D�°YARBAKIR - Do��an News Agency

    World-renowned master of oud Yervant Bostanc�±, a Diyarbak�±r native of
    Armenian descent, announced March 30 that he has decided to return to
    his hometown following separate calls by the culture minister and
    Diyarbak�±r mayor for minorities that have emigrated to return to
    Turkey.

    Bostanc�±, who has been living in California for 21 years, said he was
    set to move to Diyarbak�±r in June, being the first Armenian to respond
    to the calls. "Diyarbak�±r Mayor Osman Baydemir and other fellow
    countrymen wanted me to come back. I could not rip my heart from [my
    birthplace]. People should die where they are born. I'm coming to
    die," Bostanc�± said, adding that he did not find genuine happiness in
    the United States.

    A recent book on his life written by Diyarbak�±r author ��eyhmus Diken
    paid tribute to the musician. He was born in the Hançepek neighborhood
    of Diyarbak�±r, which was also known as the "Gavur (Infidel)
    Neighborhood" of Diyarbak�±r and hosted most of the Armenians who had
    survived the events of 1915. Diyarbak�±r was once home to a large
    Armenian community years ago. The municipality has started major
    projects to restore Armenian vestiges such as the Surp Giragos Church.

    "People constantly tell me, 'You have work in Los Angeles, how you
    will leave everything and return to Diyarbak�±r.' But why shouldn't we
    live where we are happy? We Armenians brought our culture with us
    everywhere we went. Why should we die in the city of others, feeling
    homesick?" Bostanc�± said.

    He told Hürriyet Daily News in an interview last year that he had
    decided to leave Turkey after being insulted following a show in 1992.
    "I finished the program, and a man came up and asked me why I was
    singing in Armenian. I replied, "Because I am Armenian," and then he
    started to swear and curse at me. I was terrified, and I decided to
    leave Turkey that night," the musician explained.

    Bostanc�± also said the Armenian diaspora in the United States reacted
    strongly when he continued singing in Turkish and Kurdish. "I made
    this struggle and never gave up," he said.

    March/30/2013

    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/master-of-oud-of-armenian-descent-announces-return-to-his-hometown-diyarbakir.aspx?pageID=238&nID=43949&NewsCatID=339

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