Tatlises, Ibrahim

(1952- )

   Affectionately known as Ibo, Ibrahim Tatlises is a very popular and prolific folk singer in Turkey, where he was born in Urfa as an ethnic Kurd with partial Arabic ancestry. He has recorded 23 albums, one of which broke all sales records in Turkey in 1978. He can easily high pitch his voice from three to five musical scales. He hosts a popular television program and has also appeared in several dozen films.

   In the late 1980s, he was asked to sing in Kurdish at a cultural evening in Usak, Turkey. He declined by declaring: "I am a Kurd, but the laws ban me from singing in Kurdish." He was then prosecuted for "separatist propaganda." Even though he was not convicted, this incident illustrated the constant harassment ethnic Kurds have long suffered in Turkey because of their Kurdish culture. In December 2003, Tatlises was criticized when he sang a folk song in Kurdish on his popular television program, "Ibo Show." The affair led to protests and boycotts by Turkish nationalists and even a failed attempt to assassinate him. In July 2007, Tatlises failed to be elected to the Turkish parliament.

   See also Music.