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MIKIS THEODORAKIS -ZULFU LIVANELI
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19 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2006, 21:16

THE MESSAGE THAT MIKIS THEODORAKIS HAS SENT TO CELEBRATE ZULFU LIVANELI'S 35TH YEAR AS AN ARTIST

Dear Zulfu,

I join with your friends from all over the world in celebrating the occasion of your 60th birthday, and I wish you Happy Birthday, with health, happiness and creativity.
I feel very fortunate and proud to have known you and been worthy of becoming your friend and fellow-traveller on the path of Art and Peace.
You as a Turk, and I, a Greek are as like as two drops of rain, demonstrating that divisions and hostilities are imposed on peoples and human beings by all sorts of authorities that feed off the pain and blood of the people, and for that reason want them to be divided and weak.
Now you find yourself at a crowning point in your life. Until now you have done many fine things and have deserved to achieve honour and love within your country and abroad. You have written magnificent songs that sprang from the soul of Turkish tradition, songs so genuine and true, that they move not only Turks, but all peoples, and particularly us Greeks, demonstrating how close our sensibilities and our traditions are to one another.
Listening to your music I feel especially moved, realizing how our perceptions and our paths follow the same direction, with the same aims and with common results.
Lately you have been preoccupied with literature and again with the epicenter of the human spirit, as well as with the problems of present day Turkey, together with its history. Here again the results are admirable, and you should know that I am one of your most faithful admirers also in this area.
You are also a member of parliament, which means that you do not separate the Artist from the Citizen and his responsibilities.
In short, today's occasion finds you in the prime of life and all of us who love you expect even greater songs, greater literary works, and even more activity in the social and political arenas.
Unfortunately, the problems that concern all peoples have become more serious today, particularly the problem of Peace.
Now, after Iraq, we have Lebanon and only God knows what will follow. And all this fire of war, the pain, the blood, the death are in our neighbourhood. And to think there were and maybe there are -even now- sick minds who desire war between our two peoples! Now it seems to me that in the face of the unspeakable misery we see each day on our television, everyone would have seen the value of Peace. This is why I believe that the highest duty of each person is the struggle for Peace.
You now hold the torch. And this is the greatest wish I have for you this moment, when you cross the step of maturity and responsibility: Leader of the struggle for world Peace in your country and in all the world, with your life, your thoughts, your work, your actions, may you raise even higher the voice of the Artist and the Citizen, not only the Citizen of Turkey but also the Citizen of the world.
With my warmest wishes,

Mikis Theodorakis
21.08.2006

From: http://www.livaneli.net/