Freedom
By Joe Adambery
Freedom is
A fanciful mantra that makes heroes by their uttering of a single word
A tired cliché that still manages to rally the blind before its noisy trumpet is even heard
A poisoned chalice that now melts in the hands of angels who worshipped a blessing so pure
That few would notice their shackled feet and the snarling dogs protecting the magician with the cure
We are never free we were not even free in the womb before this conflicted world with our birthing struggles beckoned
The poisons that we ingested during drip-fed education hardly reckoned
On the damage it would wreak as the spread of flags and beliefs gave way to global corruption
Skilfully disguised tycoons bled the bleeding and subjugated the kneeling with news and distraction
Freedom from the weaver’s loom cries the thread as its colour is stifled in the darker threads’ gloom
Freedom from child labour and abuse
Freedom where there can be found no better excuse
Freedom from taxes levied on the lowly paid
Freedom from bankers and super tankers rotten to the core
Freedom from frustration and empty promises that were made
Freedom from twisted lawyers and accountants who always take more
Freedom from global corruption we do not deserve this
Freedom a noble concept in the hands of noble men defined as wedded bliss
Freedom manipulated by dark forces transmutes into a Judas kiss
Freedom beyond what by our own struggles is ever achievable
Freedom imagined and cascading from fountains pervading
Freedom is so real and yet so intangible.
There is no greater love than the love shown by a man who laid down his life for a noble cause. So that others could have the freedom to sing about their own dreams of freedom, Ibrahim Gokcek gave up the freedom to nurture his own body so that his soul would be purified in the three hundred and ten days of his self inflicted torture in a hunger strike that caused his demise.
His passing will inspire many to dream of better days that surely cannot be far away now. The world is waking up to the reality that there are those who will deny freedom and the right to be happy to many thousands of dreamers who were helped to dream by the inspiring music of Grup Yorum of which Ibrahim was a prominent member.
Music has a body and a soul. The body is the message that it conveys in melody and words and the soul is the rhythm which sways listeners and allows them to get lost in its message and enjoy a unique experience. Music exists in nature and it cannot be denied to man because it is the oxygen for his soul.
The soul of the messenger is as important as the message because what anchors the message to musical rhythm is the bass and drums which make up the beat of the music. Beat is made up of pulses which capture the heart and the mind of the listener for those fleeting moments during which the music is enjoyed. Those sublime moments when natural beauty and otherness are possible are triggered by music. Ibrahim Gokcek was the bass player in Grup Yorum and he was also an important messenger of freedom.
Importantly freedom is at the heart of all music. Every composer is free to search the universe for inspiration to make music and thereby lift the spirits and feed the souls of listeners. Music will not be silenced, it will rise in glory even from under the boot of the oppressor and its noble message will ultimately be heard and it will continue to inspire and give joy to millions even in their darkest hours.
Those who have laid down their life for the right to perform music will live forever as martyrs whose selflessness has gained them a place in paradise and a special place in our hearts. Past and present members of Grup Yorum and their families are owed a debt of gratitude for the suffering which has been imposed on them.
The price of freedom can be as high as the stars but the stars shine brighter at night because they are free from the light of the sun. Freedom will always find a way and a time to shine.
