Birol Topaloğlu

The musical traditions of the East Black Sea region of Turkey are preserved through the efforts of kemenge (fiddle) and baglama (a three double-stringed instrument) player and vocalist Birol Topaloglu. Singing in the Laz language, Topaloglu provides a musical voice for, what he called, during a late-'90s interview, "the old ladies and shepherds of the villages in the Black Sea region." Topaloglu dedication to the Laz people was strengthened by years of cultural struggle. Forbidden to speak in his native language, in school, he was forced to learn to Turkish from the age of six...