Doğa Sultan is a Türkiye-based artist who works in the fields of textile and garment design, as well as street art and graffiti. Alongside these practices, she has long been involved in collective projects and political expression through art.
In this interview, fellow artist and DJ Kaygusuz Vandal reached out to her to talk about Doğa’s most recent and ambitious project to date. It’s a documentary-style art book that brings together DIY punk bands emerging from North Africa and the Middle East, along with voices from the diaspora now based in Europe and beyond.
This growing movement is carving out space within punk to confront colonial legacies and rewrite dominant narratives. The upcoming book is only one part of the project. It will also be accompanied by a series of compilation records on vinyl and tape, as well as a launch tour of concerts aimed at connecting these scenes and building lasting networks of solidarity. Decolonize punk, stop the genocide!
Can you tell us a little about yourself for those who don’t know you? What are the sparks that led you to start this project?
I’m Doğa. I work in a few different fields, but my main focus is textile and garment design. You can also see me on the streets under different names. I have been involved with the streets, the scene, and collective production for as long as I can remember. The reason I started this project was actually a feeling of incompleteness. I realized that the work done on the emerging scene from North Africa and the Middle East is either very superficial or does not really carry the voices of the people in these scenes. (It is always mentioned under certain names and labels; see: taqwacore, etc.) I established my own place to fill this gap a little bit and to multiply the voices.
How was this book project born? How did the initial idea develop and when, out of what need? Why was the idea of collective production critical for this project?
It started with old engravings I found in a second-hand bookstore. The old print pages I found categorized and visualized the clothing styles and lifestyles of people of different origins from the Middle East and North Africa. I actually started to create fabric surfaces based on this for another project. I started to do more detailed research, and we can say that the music scene drew me in. Then the idea of the book was born because I couldn’t find any information about most of the bands when I was digging around the music scene for inspiration. Based on the visual narrative, I acted on the idea of establishing a connection with the memory. As someone who has heard the sound of these scenes but never seen their faces, I wanted to fill the gap.
Collective production is critical at this point because it is not my story that is being told; it is the story of the people who exist and produce in these scenes. That’s why we are writing this together.
How do the different components of the project feed each other in the triangle of book & compilation album & concerts? What does this interdisciplinary approach mean to you?
To me, they all complement each other completely. The book, with its visual and textual content, creates a permanent memory, an archive. The concerts, on the other hand, reflect the live version of this collective production and allow us to celebrate it all together, as we should. At the same time, we build an interdisciplinary structure in the journey from the aesthetics and narrative of the book to the concerts and listening to the music live, and this deepens the narrative for me.
How did you choose the bands involved in the project and what was the thinking behind including (or excluding) certain bands?
At first, it was an instinctive selection process. I contacted the bands I have been following for a long time. In fact, there were so few bands at first that I thought there was a mistake somewhere, and I did more detailed research. The number of bands increased to 30. I’m sure there are still many bands I haven’t reached, but I think this project is a long process that will continue. The bands currently in the book are Taqbir, Pure Terror, Demokhratia, Eteraz, Haram, Inqirad, Dead Bhuttos, Mazandaran, Khiis, Maran, Multinational Corporations, Khassarat, Ragum, Shafrah, Snake Eater, Al-Thawra, Sucka, Ta2reeban [also involved in Dajjeh collective], Tajnid, Uzu, Wafaq, Zanjeer, Znous.
In this book, I want to talk about everything that happened in this scene, whether positive or negative, to create a total archive, and I want this to be done through the direct narration of the subjects, not through the comments of others. On the other hand, I think there are many issues that need to be clarified—you will see this in the book. That’s why there are some bands that I have specifically chosen, but I’ll leave that for the book.
Where does this project stand politically? Can you talk about the anti-colonial approach and the connection between music and this stance?
The project is clearly anti-colonial—one that exposes not only the cultural domination of the past but also the cultural domination of the present. I think music is also a tool of resistance here. I think it creates an alternative space against both the cultural hegemony of the West and the local mechanisms of oppression.
How did your decision to remain independent shape the progress of the project, and why was it important?
The biggest problem in remaining independent is financial resources. I didn’t start with a budget in my pocket, but one of the first people I contacted was my dear friend Nao (Taqbir), who has supported me incredibly. Together, we put a t-shirt on sale and allocated the proceeds to budgets such as travel expenses for the launch bands, book printing, etc. Then Hassan (Zanjeer) provided the same support. Now the t-shirts are still on pre-order. The project finances itself through solidarity.
You say that the book is a documentary. Do you think this book is a work of memory or an archive? Where do you position yourself with the combination of different formats?
To me, this book is both an archive of music and resistance. These two concepts become inseparable.
Why do you think underground scenes are important? What does underground culture mean to you in terms of solidarity, freedom of expression, and political resistance?
It is a structure woven with solidarity practices and has its own principles. That is why it preserves its truth.
How will the launch process progress? How did the launch concerts in October, the city selection, and the organization take shape? What are your plans for the process?
The launches will start in October in İstanbul. The first launch concerts will take place at Karga for two days on October 10th and 11th. Cerahat40K will open the first day from the local scene and then continue with Ta2reeban, Ragum, and Zanjeer. The second day opens with a DJ set by Kaygusuz Vandal [author of this interview] and Cheb Aadel, followed by Goblin Daycare, Shafrah, and Taqbir. Then we are in Berlin on October 18th, followed by Barcelona, and we are working on a few more cities. The choice of cities is shaped by the relationships with the bands and the ties with the local scenes. Kimia, Hassan, and I are working together for the launches of some cities. I will share the tour poster in July.
What can those who want to support this project do? What are your suggestions for ways of participation or cooperation?
Those who think they can contribute to the content of the book can contact me via social media or email. (I am also looking for fanzines other than music bands, old sources that have been written and drawn on this subject before.) Apart from that, we are currently funding the project with the sale of t-shirts. Those who want to support the project can take a look at the t-shirts. If there are those who think they can make room for this project on their own stages, they can contact me for the launch process. Come to the launches and let’s celebrate together, haha.
What was the most challenging thing for you while carrying out this project, and what motivated you the most?
The most challenging thing was running alone. But as we progressed, I realized that I was not alone. Many bands embraced the project and have supported/continue to support me in many ways. The scene is really alive, and we can carry each other.
How does this network you have established with musicians from different geographies build bridges between local and global resistance practices? What does this global solidarity network established through music mean?
Local struggles are not disconnected from each other. We are together, even if we are in different places or far away from each other. This feels very powerful. I have been experiencing an example of this in the graffiti scene for many years. The culture binds us together, and an indescribable solidarity emerges. I think this is my favorite part.
How do you address the issue of “representation” in the project, which is a multi-voiced and multi-disciplinary organization? What are your concerns in terms of creating a fair space for everyone?
I don’t want anyone’s voice to drown out the other, and I’m trying to create a space where everyone can take part using their own language, their own form—indirectly, we can say. Because the bands in the book have been doing this for a long time in different places by making music in their own languages and making sounds with their own forms of expression, and I am working on documenting this permanently.
Could there be other versions of this book and project in the future, or follow-up projects? Is there a bigger ecosystem you plan to create in the long run?
Yes. This is just the beginning. More cities, more bands, a wider area is possible. Maybe in the future, we will expand this network even more with radio programs, digital archives, or tours. It certainly won’t end in a single book, but I don’t know how it will evolve.
If you had to summarize the whole process briefly, how would you summarize it? And what is your message to like-minded people who want to produce outside the mainstream?
Producing outside the mainstream may seem difficult, but it is possible. And most importantly, we are not alone. We are on the right path, even if it is sometimes slow.
Reach out to Doğa Sultan on Instagram or email at [email protected]. Listen to some of the featured bands from this growing scene below.
