An official from a political party in northern Kurdistan now works to relocate the remains of a famous local artist. Moreover, Hasan Falah reports that Serri Sürreya Önder, a prominent politician and lawmaker, leads this new initiative. Specifically, he aims to move the remains of Şakiro from İzmir back to his hometown of Ağrı.
Many Kurdish music critics recognize Şakiro for his original and resonant voice. Furthermore, they say his unique rural tone remained uninfluenced by other nations. Consequently, his voice holds a special place in the region’s musical history.
Önder strongly emphasizes the purpose of this effort. He says the initiative shows deep respect for both the artist and Kurdish culture. Additionally, Şakiro provided decades of great service to Kurdish musical arts.
During his career, which spanned the 1960s to the 1990s, he recorded nearly 65 cassettes. Sadly, he passed away in 1996 in İzmir at age 65 after an illness. Now, the work begins to bring him home.
Artist and researcher Heme Hesimi provides further clarity. He states that Şakiro was actually born in Ağrı in 1931, not 1936 as many sources claim. His father was also a singer, so he followed that path and studied under the master Dengbêj Reşo.