BARAN DESTAN/AMED
The Saqo Collective was founded in 2022 by five young people dedicated to Kurdish comedy. That same year, the group—which launched under the name Tirş û Tehl, meaning “sour and bitter”—began organizing Kurdish stand-up shows in various cities, starting with Batman. Tirş û Tehl, the first Kurdish-language stand-up club in Northern Kurdistan, held its first festival in Batman last year from December 10–14. The collective, which aims to continue the festival, seeks to further strengthen its ties with Tirş û Tehl while also contributing to the development of new comedians. To this end, monthly open-mic events provide a stage for anyone interested in creating humor in Kurdish.
Aram Dildar, Erdal Kaya, Dîyar Adîn, Pelda Bal, Robin Özel, and many other talented performers take the stage at Tirş û Tehl to connect with the audience.
We spoke with Tirş û Tehl General Coordinator Robin Özel about the challenges of performing stand-up comedy in Kurdish, Tirş û Tehl’s work, and the collective’s goals for the future.
How did the idea to found Tirş û Tehl come about? Why did you choose this name?
Tirş û Tehl Stand-Up is the first comedy club in the Kurdish language. The idea naturally emerged from a group of five friends when one of them wanted to do stand-up—or at least give it a try—and specifically wanted to do it in Kurdish. I think the reason we chose this name stems from our perspective on comedy. In our view, the purpose of comedy isn’t to make everyone laugh. Some of our jokes will come across as bitter and painful to certain people.