Music that enlivens the country

This is what the “country with a migrant background” sounds like, which Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently spoke about at an event marking the 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement. In the “ARD Documentary: Songs of Guest Workers”, which is first broadcast by Erste, the filmmaker Cem Kaya portrays a very special music scene, shaped by Turkish migrants from the first so-called “guest worker” generation until today.

The first improvised stages for this style of music, which often combines traditional sounds with socially critical texts, were workers’ dormitories and Turkish teahouses. Self-composed songs were performed there that reflected the living conditions. The content is often about the tornness of migrant workers – between uprooting, a spirit of optimism, opportunities for advancement, but also frustration and loneliness in the distance. It is not uncommon for the generally melancholic songs to also become sarcastic.

ARD documentary: Songs of guest workers – Mon. 20.11. – ARD: 12:05 a.m

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