Yesterday, Sunday, December 17, 2023, Turkish Necmettin Erbakan Akyuz (21 years old) celebrated his victory in the European Kung Fu Championship, which was held in Istanbul, by raising the Palestinian flag and performing the “Dance of the Landlords,” known as “Dabke.”
A video clip showed the Turkish player climbing to the podium and one of the tournament organizers hanging the gold medal around his neck. Akyuz then gave the certificate of victory to his colleague, then took the Palestinian flag out from under his shirt and raised it high with both hands.
Akyuz was not satisfied with that, but rather surprised everyone by performing the famous “Dabke” dance as an expression of his solidarity with the freedom of Palestine and its struggle against the Israeli occupation state. He also chanted before his arrival, “Israel is a terrorist.”
Akyuz wrote on Instagram, “No matter how uncomfortable they were, I wanted to remind them while I was on the podium at the European Championships that I won two titles by chanting ‘Terrorist Israel’.”
According to Turkish media, the father of the European Kung Fu champion – Abdul Rahman Akyuz – chose the name Necmettin Erbakan for his son as a blessing for the late Necmettin Erbakan, the former Prime Minister of Turkey, as Akyuz’s father was his bodyguard.
“Dance of the Landlords”
Several years ago, a video clip spread of a young Palestinian man performing the dance following clashes with Israeli occupation soldiers, with some likening it to the “dance of freedom,” the “dance of victory,” or the “dance of the landowners” of the Native American Indians in America.
Since the Palestinian young man performed this dance, it has invaded social networking sites and begun to spread in various fields in countries around the world and among sports players, and has become a sign of solidarity with Palestine.
This December, the Palestinian Dabke was included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, during the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Dabke is considered a heritage that accompanies Palestinians during their joys, and they are keen to pass it on from one generation to another for fear of it being lost and to preserve their identity from extinction.
The Dabkeh is a popular folkloric dance widespread in the Levant, and is often practiced at festivals, celebrations and weddings. The Dabkeh band usually consists of a group of more than 10 people called “Dabkeh”, a yargul or shababa player, and a drum.
Dabke is a group oriental dance that includes traditional clothes, tools and equipment. It is known in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, as well as northern Saudi Arabia, where the performance of its participants is characterized by harmony.
There are different “dumps”, the most effective of which ignite the audience’s enthusiasm and reinforce the meanings of chivalry, chivalry, altruism and tolerance.
The holding of hands and the chanting of rising slogans carry connotations of strength, cohesion, solidarity, and filling the void, in a symbolic expression of repelling attempts to divide the people of one nation.
Source: Al Jazeera + Turkish press + social networking sites
2023-12-18 15:08:15
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