The Amed (Diyarbakır) Municipal Theater (DBŞT) had a moving start to the 2025/26 theater season on September 1, World Peace Day. In keeping with this special date, the theater piece “Jîn (Jinên Azad),” which—without a linear plot—tells the story of women’s struggle and their confrontation with grief through body language, music, and movement, celebrated its premiere at the Çand Amed Congress Center.
The play was developed by the actresses of the municipal theater, which is under the authority of the municipal department for culture and social affairs. Directed by Mizgîn Bilmen, with choreography by Berivan Savgat and dramaturgy by Berfin Emektar, the DBŞT ensemble made a strong artistic statement. The play combines a letter from Kurdish politician Leyla Zana, poems by poet Ebdulla Peşew, and Emektar’s own texts with an impressive physical performance.
‘A completely new experience’
In an interview, director Mizgîn Bilmen explained the particular challenge of preparing the production in four weeks: “It was four intense weeks of preparation; for both me and the actresses, it was a completely new experience to tell a story in a theater performance primarily through body language—and only secondarily through spoken language, which then carries all the more depth.” Bilmen emphasized that the entire team was very grateful for this artistic experience and announced that they would continue to work together in the future.
The premiere ultimately became a special event that deeply moved not only the artists but also the audience. “I didn’t expect it to shake and touch them so much. That was exactly what I wanted – and I was pleasantly surprised. I have rarely experienced such an incredibly concentrated and focused audience,” said Bilmen.
The impact of theater in a political context
Bilmen described the atmosphere of the evening as follows: “I didn’t realize what kind of signal this would send in Amed or to the Kurdish community. When I met Sedat Yurttaş [Kurdish lawyer, politician, and author], who also attended the premiere, I could sense how moved he was; it was a very nice encounter.”
The performance began with a letter from Leyla Zana, followed by an audio recording of one of her speeches from the 1990s in the Turkish parliament. This dramaturgical decision made it clear how strongly the production is anchored in a political context. Bilmen summed up this insight: “It became clear to me once again what theater is capable of in a political context.”
The director was moved by the response within the Kurdish community: “This kind of encouragement and recognition is very new to me—and something very special. The premiere of ”Jîn (Jinên Azad)” was more than just an evening at the theater: it was an artistic statement that combined strength, pain, and hope, and deeply moved the audience in Amed.”
Expression of the body’s emotional memory
“Jîn (Jinên Azad)” follows the tradition of physical theater and dance theater based on the influences of legendary choreographer Pina Bausch. The focus is not on how bodies move, but what moves them. “Jîn” also had no fixed text and no pre-determined choreography.
Bilmen, who has over ten years of experience in professional folk dancing, sees dance not only as an expression of grief, but also as an act of liberation: “In Kurdish culture, folklore and dance are not only a way of dealing with grief, but also an attempt at liberation.”
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