Secret Songs

Secret Songs is a deep dive into the shared history of Armenian, Kurdish, and Greek communities in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. For centuries, these groups lived side by side as neighbors, despite differences in religion, culture, and language. But when the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I and the Turkish Republic was founded, Armenians, Greeks, and Kurds faced consecutive genocides—an attempt to erase their people and histories and create a homogeneous Turkish ethnostate.

Artists, intellectuals, and politicians were the first to be targeted, as the new regime feared the stories they carried, stories of belonging, resistance, and revolt. These stories were often passed down in secret, through music.

In Secret Songs, we explore the musical history of Anatolia and Asia Minor, uncovering styles like rebetiko, voghb, moirologo, and dengbêj—genres deeply tied to exile, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. We draw parallels between the suffering caused by colonial powers, imposed borders, and ethnic superiority in the past, and today’s context of right-wing radicalization, ethnic cleansing, expansionist wars, and genocide.

Through ritual, music, storytelling, and poetry, we remember, honor, revive, grieve, and look forward. We ask how this history can teach us about today and the future. How do we involve the audience in a story that may seem distant or unknown to them? How can the audience be more than just spectators? How can we, as children of the diaspora, bridge the culture, history, and music of the world we live in and the world we come from?

The team

Marios Bellas is a Greek-Dutch performer, rapper, and director working at the intersection of theatre, hip-hop, and ritual. After graduating from RITCS, he performed in international productions like EXTREME / MALECANE (Théâtre National) and Hannibal (KVS). In 2025, he directed Vier Muren, a hip-hop ritual that toured Belgium and the Netherlands. As a rapper, he released the album Honger and reached the finals of SoundTrack. He is also a member of the punk-rap band State Collapse.

Ivan Kevork Azazian is a Palestinian-Armenian actor, vocalist, composer, and theatre director based in Brussels. His work combines physical theatre, live music, and storytelling, often exploring identity, memory, and moral questions. He holds a Master’s in Theatre Directing from RITCS and studied music at the Edward Said National Conservatory. Ivan has performed in productions like Grey Rock and is part of the punk-rap band State Collapse.

Gökhan Kizilbuga is a multidisciplinary artist working in theatre, performance, and visual art. Born in Genk to Kurdish guest workers, his practice explores migration, cultural hybridity, and social inequality. He holds degrees in Drama Directing/Writing from RITCS and has created works like Es kamen menschen an and Sledderlove. Gökhan is based in Brussels.