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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jessie Williams

‘We felt that we are one’: how Turkish musicians welcomed Syrian refugees

Syria Istanbul Turkey
Musicians at the Syrian-led In the Studio project in Istanbul
‘Music is an art form that we can all connect to’ … Serkan Hakki on clarinet with other musicians at the Syrian-led In the Studio project in Istanbul. Photograph: Courtesy of In the Studio Project

When Mahdi Alkilani first arrived in Istanbul, aged 24, he couldn’t speak Turkish. Music was his way of communicating.

The musician, producer and rapper came to Turkey in 2014 after being arrested by the regime in Syria and accused of smuggling weapons, which he denies. He believes he was one of only two men to be released out of 60 detainees; the rest died in prison.

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