By Heidi Trautmann
To be born in a country of extremes, to grow up
between sea and mountains, between wide plains and craggy rock, among people of
ancient cultural and varied religious backgrounds is a prerequisite for
creativity. It is as if the sun and moon were shining at the same time. The
area around Lefke has this magic atmosphere of extremes, I have felt it myself
as if a curtain had been drawn across the two parts of the island, Lefke and
the rest.
Mustafa Tozakı who was born in Agios Pirfanios a small
village near Lefke, is a multi-talented and active man, I know him as a
caricaturist and have interviewed him as such for my book “Art and Creativity
in North Cyprus” but when I met him again just a week ago, it was the musician
that talked to me. He gave me the latest album ‘Kırlangıç’ he did with his
music group ‘Güzelyurt Gelişim’, it is the fifth album of this kind, four being
created between 1984 and 1991. The present album is a cooperation of three men
and three women, the music on the two CDs of this album is composed by Mustafa
Tozakı and Halil Akansel in the traditional and authentic Turkish rhythms, for
example 5/8 or 9/8. It is music composed for Turkish Cypriot poems,
all by well known poets such as Arıf Albayrak, Bülent Fevzioğlu, Pembe Marmara,
Mehmet Levent, Dr. Ersan Berksel, Ayşen Dağlı, Beste Sakallı, Kaya Çanga,
Neriman Cahit, Nice Denizoğlu, Feriha Altiok, unknown source and of course by
the too well known Nazim Hikmet.
Not all poems are suitable lyrics for a composer to
make music for, Mustafa Tozakı said, who has composed nine pieces on the album,
the others Halil Akansel did.
I took the album home and listened to it; the music is very poetic in itself
accompanied by two guitars and vocalists, from solo to all six vocals: Mustafa
Tozakı, Sibel Tozakı, Hasip Akgürgen, Ezgi Akgürgen, Halil Akansel and Izlem
Akansel. Cypriot chansons, a 100% Cypriot work: music, lyrics and vocals. I
love it; it is so positive and tells you tales about Cyprus.
You can listen to the Group ‘Güzelyurt Gelişim’ on
Youtube and you can buy it at mustato57@hotmail.com or mobile telephone: 0542 852 6515.