Interview with Münir Curi

INTERVIEW WITH MÜNİR CURİ Pristina | Date: April 7, 2019 Duration: 65 minutes Present: 1. Münir Curi (Speaker) 2. Ebru Süleyman (Interviewer) 3. Donjeta Berisha (Camera) Transcription notation symbols of non-verbal communication: () – emotional communication {} – the speaker explains something using gestures. Other transcription conventions: [] - addition to the text to facilitate comprehension Footnotes are editorial additions to provide information on localities, names or expressions. Part One Münir Curi: I am Münir Curi, born in 1949. I was born in Mitrovica, but I have lived in Pristina for almost 65 years. We moved from Mitrovica to Pristina because of my father’s work in ‘51. In Mitrovica, we had a huge family there, from my mother’s side and father’s side. My father’s father, well, my grandfather, he was a famous barber in Mitrovica, barber and he also pulled teeth. In those times, barbers used to pull teeth out, perform circumcision surgeries, and make medicine. So my grandfather was one of them, Salih, the barber. He was one of the most famous barbers. Ebru Süleyman: Did you get to know your grandfather? Münir Curi: I did a little. I grew up with him until I was ten, fifteen years old, but, on the other hand, we were separated because we were living in Pristina and they were in Mitrovica. We used to visit them on holidays and such, I saw him only at those times. I used to go to his shop and hang out there. The shop was located in Mitrovica. Ebru Süleyman: Where was it exactly? Münir Curi: The shop was located in the old bazaar, where the mosque is now built in Mitrovica. There used to be a street, where all the craftsmens shops were located, so there was a barbershop. He used to pull teeth out, make medicines, perform circumcision surgeries. He was a surgeon. So my father learned all these crafts by working there, and he also learned to play mandolin there. Ebru Süleyman: Who taught him how to play mandolin? Münir Curi: My grandfather used to have a helper there who used to play mandolin. He, my father really liked it so he bought a mandolin when he was young and started to play it with him. My mother’s side was known as Russians in Mitrovica. Because when there was a kingdom in Russia, they, the Muslims were expelled from the country. They went to Konya, well, after Uzbekistan, two brothers, they were from Uzbekistan, so they moved to Konya and from Konya to Kosovo. Ebru Süleyman: This happened in which years? Münir Curi: These stories are 500 years ago, 600 years ago. Two brothers, one of them was Zaim and the other one was Hodja. So Hodja used to be a teacher in schools, Hacı Ahmet and Mustafa. Two brothers, they came to Konya, from Konya, they moved to Kosovo. And here they started their families. So here in Mitrovica, everybody knows them as Russians, they often call them “Ruski, Ruski”. Ebru Süleyman: Yes, so there are still people from this family? Münir Curi: They are two brothers, two families, Mustafa and Ahmet. There are two families. Well, the grandkids of Mustafa and Ahmet. They have built a house there, started their lives and got used to living here. Ebru Süleyman: Is there anything left from Uzbek culture? Münir Curi: Not that much. Ebru Süleyman: I guess a long time passed. Münir Curi: Yes, a long time passed and they are in Mitrovica now. They got used to our culture. The Russian cultures and traditions no longer exist in their family, grandkids and grandfathers got used to the region’s traditions and life… Ebru Süleyman: So this family is on your mother’s side? Münir Curi: Mother’s side is related to Zaim’s family. Ebru Süleyman: And your father was born in Mitrovica, right? Münir Curi: My father was born in Mitrovica, my mother was born in Mitrovica, but at that time we had to move because of my father’s work, the radio was established in Pristina. There were a lot of minorities here, Albanians, Turks, Gypsies, Serbs, and so on, because this area was Yugoslavia’s area, a private area. So after that, radio was established. In the year ‘48, radio was established in Pristina. So there was an Albanian orchestra, a Serbian orchestra but not a Turkish orchestra. That time there was a single-party regime, the Communist party, there was no other party than that. So we had our representatives there, Turkish deputies. Then the council was established in Kosovo, administration, Kosovo’s council was established, we had folks in that administration. Here there was a Turkish orchestra, but they played only folks songs, vauuva {onomatopoeia}, they didn’t fit the radio well. My father really liked Turkish classical music, while he was listening to them all day on the radio, he improved himself and he started playing banjo. After the mandolin, they bought a banjo and he started playing along with the radio, he didn’t have a professional degree. Music notes and such, he picked up playing banjo and improved himself. So in those times the associations were established, cultural associations. In Mitrovica, there was the Birlik [Unity] Association, my father with his three friends, four friends together started an orchestra in that association. They started their music there. My father used to sing, he was a sound artist, he used to have a really nice voice, really nice. And while he was listening to songs on the radio, he was enjoying and learning. So while playing music together, he soon became very famous in this area. “Oh, there is a Rasim, Rasim, his surname is Rüşüt, but who is Rasim? Rasim is Salih’s son. Rasim, Barber Salih’s son, Master Salih, Salih’s son.” Rasim and Rasim Salih, that is how they started calling him, Rasim Salih. Now this orchestra, this orchestra in Pristina, Turkish orchestra didn’t really fit the radio format. Folkloric song, talava1 songs, bam bum bam bum {onomatopoeia}. But here, they did vocal art music with tunes. So we had our deputies here, deceased Kadir Rauf, Şerafedin Süleyman, Haşim Mustafa, they were managers in administration. So they asked to establish a Turkish classical music orchestra. There is an Albanian, a Serbian, but not Turkish orchestra, why not, there is a Turkish community living here. There were more Turks living in Kosovo back then, unfortunately, a lot of them migrated. Then the [Executive] Council makes a decision which Rasim Salih has to move to Pristina and establish an orchestra. The entire group of four friends, they wanted them to move to Pristina. Yes, no, yes, no, the final decision was that in the year ‘51 my dad moved here to establish the orchestra. Ebru Süleyman: They invited him? Münir Curi: Yes, they invited, they gave us an apartment here. Three friends came, there was Bayram Kırveş, Adem Macula and Bedri Tumbak, who played tambourine, Sister Suzan’s brother. Ebru Süleyman: Was he also from Mitrovica? Münir Curi: He was also from Mitrovica, our close relative. He used to play tambourine, but he didn’t stay here because he had a really great job back in Mitrovica. Before his music career, my father was a barber at his father’s shop. I told you before, he started playing mandolin there. So his profession is barber. But he enjoyed music so they, four friends, they came here and established an orchestra. They progressed over time. My father used to sing and he also played banjo. The first radio was established in the year ‘48. Ebru Süleyman: Where was the radio back then? Münir Curi: Radio was in Prizren. From Prizren, they established the radio in Pristina in ‘48. There was a small house, they used to call it stambeni block [residential block], in the first block, there used to be a small house… Ebru Süleyman: Where is that place exactly? 1 Tallava or Talava is a music genre originating from Albanian-speaking communities in the Republic of North Macedonia as well as in Kosovo, with a presence in Albania.H aving originated in the Roma community in Kosovo in the 1990s, it is oriental-sounding. It is becoming increasingly popular in Albania and North Macedonia. I t is identified as part of the wider Pop-folk genre of Southeastern Europe, which includes Chalga from Bulgaria, Skiladiko from Greece, Manele from Romania and Turbo-folk from Serbia. Münir Curi: Those blocks were located on the way to Tavuk Bahçe [Chicken Garden], so I remember there was a small house there, at that time, I was two-three years old. So there was a small house, like this {explains with his hands}, they established the radio there. Then they moved to an apartment, because the small house did not have the acoustics needed for making music. They couldn’t do a thing. So they moved to an apartment in front of the small house, today that place is kindergarten. Exactly where the house used to be, now there is a kindergarten. Ebru Süleyman: So it’s in front of Staraçki Dom [nursing home]? Münir Curi: In front of Staraçki Dom. After that, they started there in the building, in the basement, and on the second floor, they had studios and stuff. At that time, there was no recording, it was direct. They were doing live shows because they didn’t have proper studios, but they still tried hard and worked, eventually, they improved themselves. It was a big thing, they established an important orchestra. Because my dad trained singers and taught them how to play reed, the ones who he trained became reed masters.

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