Sivan Perwer

Şivan Perwer (born İsmail Aygün on 23 December 1955) is a Kurdish poet, writer, music teacher, and singer. Perwer fled Turkey in 1976 due to bans and restrictions imposed on Kurdish music. He lived in continuous exile for 37 years, returning to Diyarbakır on 16 November 2013 upon an invitation by the prime minister of Turkey at the time, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Perwer also holds several honorary doctorates in music.