Whirling dervishes under risk of commercial erosio

The participation of whirling dervishes in commercial and entertainment enterprises is turning this symbolic ritual into a mere tourist attraction, according to a Mevlana Culture and Art Foundation official.

"We have come to a point where people are asking to have two dervishes whirl at their door and they will pay whatever the price is," Osman Şener, head of the foundation’s Antalya branch, told the Doğan news agency. "The whirling-dervish displays must be totally canceled if we want to prevent the erosion of the dervish culture."

The "whirling" dance is practiced in Turkey by Sufi Muslims of the Mevlevi Order, who see it as a way to try and attain religious ecstasy.

Şener told a story about a businessman who asked to have two dervishes in front of his booth at a watch fair. "The businessman said, ’Let us have them whirl in front of the shop. They would attract attention,’" Şener said. "I suggested he have belly dancers there instead of whirling dervishes, because they would attract more attention."

According to Şener, whirling displays at inappropriate locations are hurting the dervish culture, which goes back thousands of years.

Although the Culture and Tourism Ministry has issued a memo on protecting dervish culture, it is ineffective, Şener said, because it has no power to impose sanctions if the rules are breached.

Not all parties involved with dervish culture share Şener’s criticism of the ministry’s memo, however. Abdülhamid Çakmut, the head of the Galata Mevlevis, Mevlana Education and Culture Association, or MEKDER, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the memo can be used effectively when nongovernmental organizations, especially those in tourism regions, take action against inappropriate ceremonies. Çakmut said if Şener had called the ministry, the provincial culture administration or the governorship office, the inappropriate whirling-dervish demonstrations would have been stopped immediately.

The ministry’s three-page memo sets out conditions on performances by whirling dervishes. The memo states, "The whirling-dervish demonstration should only be done in places and atmospheres where this culture can be truly conveyed to the audience." It also says that such demonstrations should be done "only with ’Mevlevi music’ and this music should be performed live" and that all performers should possess both the required technical skills and knowledge of the spiritual aspects of the culture.

According to Çakmut, time, space and the audience are very crucial topics in this culture. "The time and place of these demonstrations should be appropriate and the audience should be interested and should come to watch it willingly," he said.

Şener said whirling is a spiritual ritual, not a folk dance, a fact that is constantly disregarded among the tourism and entertainment sectors. "Having a whirling-dervish display on the same stage with samba dancers is proof of how this culture is being ’protected’ today," he said.

At a June 15 festival in the Kemer district of Antalya, Şener said, a show by Brazilian samba dancers was followed by a display of whirling dervishes accompanied by spiritual music, a juxtaposition that drew harsh criticism. Şener also complained about the displays at tourism facilities where inappropriate people are paid 50 to 100 Turkish Liras to perform as dervishes. "The alleged dervish who whirls at the hotel to entertain the customers also might sit at the bar drinking vodka or beer while wearing that costume. With its spiritual and cultural value, is this the way to protect this culture?"

Prof. Adnan Karaismailoğlu, from the Mevlana Research Association, told the Daily News that it is sad to see whirling-dervish culture reduced by consumerism to folkloric demonstrations. He said the culture should not be regarded as just an event to watch, but that it should be kept in mind that it is also a religious performance.