Chords for Light in Babylon in a changing Turkey i24News

[Em] Welcome back.
I'm Michelle McCrory.
The vote to give President Erdogan in Turkey sweeping new executive powers has exposed
a deep political divide in that country.
Our culture correspondent Daniel Kempos introduces us to an Israeli singer who hopes that her
music can be a unifying force in Turkey. _
_ With _ [F] _ _ _ _
[Em] [Am] her exotic appearance [G] and powerful voice, [Em] Michal Elia Kamal is Israel's most famous
singer in Turkey. _
_ [Am] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ Based in the Muslim-majority country, [C] she has never hid her national or religious identity,
[D] choosing to sing in Hebrew for the Turkish [Em] people.
I started around six, seven years [Am] ago in Istanbul.
_ [Em] Istanbul was very different than what it is today.
And Istiklal [C] Avenue was like a [G] festival. _
Two [D] million people passed there every [Em] day. _ _ _
[Am] _ _ _ _ [C] And it was a [Em] great opportunity for us to start from that point.
It was chosen to be the cultural capital of Europe in that year. _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [F#] _ _ [Bm] _
_ [F#] [E] Her band Light in Babylon was formed in 2010, along with her husband, French guitarist Julian
DeMarc, [G] and [G#] Turkish musician Metehan [C] Cifri. _
[Am] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _
[C] _ [Dm] But the last few years has seen a toll taken on the [F] cultural life of Turkey as a result
of [Em] the climate of instability.
Turkey, [Am] politically, is not a simple place.
But where [F] is a simple place politically?
Today, also [C] Europe and also Israel.
And all [F] the time people ask me if to be Israeli [C] in Turkey [Dm] is dangerous for me.
_ But if I would feel [F] personal danger because [E] I'm Israeli, I would not stay there.
I would say thank [Am] you and I will leave right away.
_ _ [F] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ [Am] _ _ _
[F] The [F#] problem that there are [E] in Turkey, there are more general [D] problems.
And yeah, it makes it difficult.
It makes it difficult when there is a [C] terror [F] attack in the main [E] avenue, in Istiklal Avenue,
which is just near our [Em] home.
[Am] _ _ _ _ [F] For Light in Babylon, [Am] their music plays an even more important role [F] in moments of conflict and difficulty.
When you have a concert in between attack to attack, you know, it's always the question
with the organizer if to cancel the [C] concert or not [D] to cancel.
_ You _ _ _ _ _ _ know, the way I'm looking at the music that we do, some music is for entertainment.
[D] _ _ _ _ [Cm] _ _
[D] _ _ Okay, it's for drinking and dance and forget about life, which is okay, yeah?
It makes you [Cm] happy.
But [D] some music have also different thing we think.
[G] There is different message inside of it.
Some music [D] come to heal something.
[Gm] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ Some music make us not only to forget but to remember, [G] to remember to be [D] human,
to remember to support each other.
And this is in this kind of time of terror and conflict, that's what we need. _ _
_ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Dm] _ _
_ Despite the [A#] optimism Michal reflects, she is now reconsidering her [D] decision of staying [G] in Turkey.
Terror attacks in [Gm] public spaces, a scary coup d'etat [D] attempt and the results of the last referendum
along with the growing and asphyxiating tension in there.
It is no longer the same Turkey that attracted [Em] Michal.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _
So to be a foreigner in a country that is not stable and you don't [G] know,
maybe next year I will not get a resident permit anymore, you don't know what will [D] happen.
It's very difficult thing.
It's very difficult thing to plan the future and we are building a career [G] here and music
[D] _ and it's very important to have a safe bay.
_ [Am] _ _ _ And thanks to our culture