By: Azad Karimi
I am really very happy to be able to dedicate myself professionally to music in different ways. It has always been my passion and being able to dedicate myself to compose, direct and teach music is a privilege.
Interview
Spanish composer and band conductor Alfonso Yépez Santamaría
By Azad Karimi
I would love to present Princess Leila Bedirkhan to my dear readers.
Saadi, an Iranian thinker, has a sentence with the following theme: The farmer goes to harvest the highest and most mature cluster.
Yes! He is right. That is why wise people suffer more and react more because of injustice and oppression to the oppressed and the downtrodden.
This is a law in all the nations of the world, the wise and righteous people suffer from the ignorance and wickedness of the wicked person. Wise people are responsible and conscientious people who try to make a better world for others with wisdom so that they suffer less. and the ignorant with the foolish and evil thoughts narrow the world to themselves because they think that others have narrowed her-him place in the world. So by lying, forging documents, perjury, inverting the truth, and betraying the covenant provide comfort and well-being for themselves, and thinks: others are not important.
The Badrkhani family is the most famous family of the Kurdish nation because they have done the greatest service to Kurdistan and the Kurdish people around the world. There are many families in Kurdistan who have rendered valuable services to their people and have presented to Kurdistan and the world many political leaders, social reformers, scientists, writers, historians, geographers, artists and innovators, and mathematicians.
But what the Badrkhani family did was the importance of their role in the social awakening of the people of Kurdistan and the opening of the gates of this ancient land with a very traditional texture to the outside world and Europe.
They beautifully understood nationalism, a modern phenomenon of the Western world, and used the enlightening aspect of Western civilization to introduce the people of Kurdistan to the world. They introduced the phenomenon of political party and cultural management organs into the social culture of the people of Kurdistan with a high level of cultural perception and socio-political consciousness.
They strongly influenced the political, nationalist, and cultural currents of the Kurds in the Ottoman Empire and the rule of Qajar and Pahlavi. What they did intimidated the Sunni Ottoman caliph and the Qajar Shiite king to the point that they decided to ban Kurdish dress, language, and language teaching, and everything that represented Kurdish identity, including the names of Kurds and Kurdistan.
The fruits of their efforts blossomed in the publication of the first Kurdish newspaper, the establishment of the Society for Excellence and Progress, the Hivi Party, the Khybun Party, the establishment of the Ararat government, the establishment of the Urmia government, and the establishment of the Republic of Kurdistan.
They were also at odds with Kurdish traditionalists and reactionaries. Those who loved the Ottoman Caliphate because they had accepted that the Ottoman Sultan is the representative of God and he is the decision-maker. The religious bigotry of these people, who unfortunately had a significant influence on the people, had blocked the way to social and political reform and when the Ottoman Caliphate and the Qajar dynasty collapsed, these reactionaries collaborated with Ataturk and Reza Shah against the intellectual currents of Kurdistan. because reactionaries know and understand only one word: self-destruction and submission to domination.
And because they do not have the power to express their opinion against the domination of foreigners, they are blind and deaf like slaves and they are silent and obedient to foreign rulers and have a flattering language, but in themselves, they are angry with their compatriots and very recklessly attack people who have the courage to express themselves and it is interesting that the governments of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria have abused the beliefs of these groups in an interesting and comical way and have incited them against even the most neutral literary and cultural currents.
Fortunately, information and awareness of the free world are surprisingly available to the people of the world, and of course the Kurds. Therefore, the use of old and classic tools such as the use of religious beliefs can't prevent the growth of consciousness and culture of the people of Kurdistan. The people of Kurdistan are very brave and their war with ISIS showed this courage to the people of the world, but they need social growth and development. They want to show their courage to defend world peace and security, not just to survive in their homeland. The free world must help them live prosperously in their homeland and oblige the governments of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria to provide services to their Kurdish citizens.
While the political, economic, and international corruption of these four countries has overthrown them and have damaged their respect in the world, the focus on the Kurdish people and persecuted them economically and security, except for madness and escaping from the normal human rights norms of these corrupt and reactionary systems, what could it be?
Yes! Preserving survival and preserving the culture is the duty of the Kurds, but should a community of several million people in the heart of the Middle East and the oldest ethnic group in the region and perhaps in the world should they think only to get food-bread and use only the gross products of their neighbors without the right to contact with the world outside? without produce culture and political development and to declare themselves existence in the international arena? Why should the fascists in Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria decide for the people of Kurdistan? power water outages, power outages in Kurdistan during the harsh winters, and making busy people by stupid issues are some of the simplest ways of suppress these governments, including Iran, against the Kurds. When Leila Badrkhan shone in the world, were women present in social spheres in Iran, Turkey, and Iraq?
No!
However, as a Kurdish journalist and novelist, I thank the Badrkhani family as long as I live and bow to their services. May God make them comfortable in His Paradise. They were glorious and intelligent, and they made us proud and confident. Please look at these links. They are about Leila Badrkhan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwXUcIiKCL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mum_ghqaB9o
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Bedir_Khan
I wish my dear friend Alfonso Yépez Santamaría the best in his life with success and happines.
Thank you!
Vestland-Norway
1- Please present yourself Name, education, Civil status and…)
. My name is Alfonso Yépez Santamaría (stage name Chipi). I was born in Alcoy (Alicante, Spain) in 1981. I am currently married and have 2 children.
2- What is your artistic specialize?
. I am a composer and band conductor. In the region where I live (Comunitat Valenciana) there is a great tradition of wind and percussion bands and my family has always been part of these bands. They are amateur bands that maintain the culture and identity of our region.
3- When and how did you become interested in this field of art?
. When I was a child. I saw my father and mother play in the city band (Societat Unió Musical d’Alcoi) and I decided that I wanted to play in the band too. I was part of this type of musical society since my adolescence as an amateur and it was not until adulthood that I decided to study professionally.
4- Who was your motivator?
. All the people who are by my side and have believed in me. The most important, without a doubt, my wife who encouraged me to believe in myself and to bet on following my dreams into adulthood. In the same way, the support of my mother and sister have been fundamental in this decision.
5- What was your parent’s reaction?
. Unfortunately my father died very young and has not been able to know any of my professional facets in the field of music. I'm sure you would be very proud of me. He was always a lover and passionate about music. And my mother has always bet on me. Encouraging me to achieve the goals I had in mind. He likes my music and he likes watching me conduct a lot. I'm more than happy with that.
6- When started you such as a professional artist-musician?
. I started studying music at the age of 9 and since then I have not stopped in one way or another. I dropped out of music studies and decided to become a professional in another sector. But about 5 years ago the band I am part of (Societat Unió Musical d’Alcoi) opted for me to lead its Music School and its youth band. And from that moment I have dedicated myself completely to this art. I was able to continue with my composition studies complementing them with conducting. This same year I started as the principal conductor of a band from the Valencian Community (Societat Protectora Musical d’Antella). So I can develop my two favorite artistic facets and, in addition, give percussion classes to students in different schools in the area.
7- Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as an musician?
. I am really very happy to be able to dedicate myself professionally to music in different ways. It has always been my passion and being able to dedicate myself to compose, direct and teach music is a privilege.
8- How you see the view? Music , Orchestration, art and culture?
. Music is always alive and generates a passion in human beings that will never go out. It is true that it adapts to each time, place and style, but it always transmits something that fills our soul. I think the future of music is really important. Let's hope that the authorities of each country are at the same level as the musicians and bet on culture in these delicate moments that we are going through.
9- Can you become one part of the cultural movement for motivation in youth or new generation in your country and so than?
. I hope so. I feel young (although I am already 38 years old) and I think I still have the best of my art to show. I also love working with children and adolescents trying to transmit my passion for music in different ways.
10- How can you help our world become a better place to live?
. I can only convey my feelings for music in an honest and passionate way. Band music (a large group of musicians) always contributes values such as: commitment, solidarity or companionship, so necessary in today's society. And that is precisely what I try to get children to learn.
11- Have you more word to say or suggest for our readers?
. I just wanted to thank Azad Karimi for the interview. If you wish, you can visit my website to learn more about my music and download or buy several works from my repertoire. Web: https://alfonsoyepezchipi.wordpress.com
