Batman-born artist Erdal Kaya is one of the pioneers of Kurdish theater and stand-up comedy. Having performed on stage for years, Kaya has been drawing attention in recent years with his Kurdish stand-up shows. Performing both in Kurdistan and Europe with his shows “Vip û Vala” and “Zikopişto,” the artist blends humor with stories from his own culture.

A journey that began with theater

Kaya started acting in theater at a young age at the Yılmaz Güney Cinema in Batman. After acting in Turkish theater during his university years, he returned to Batman and continued theater in groups such as Yeni Sahne, Ritüel, Tov, Araf, ŞanoAr, and Diwan Akademi. During this process, he found the opportunity to do theater in his own language, Kurdish.

The transition to stand-up

Kaya, who says the idea of stand-up had been on his mind for a long time, began producing sketches with his brother and close friend Renas. He then took to the stage and performed his first show, “Vik û Vala.” After nearly two years of performing this show, he now appears before audiences with “Zikopişto.”

“I’ve performed on stage in many places, from Toronto to Germany, and from Kurdistan to different cities. The audience’s interest was wonderful. What was important to me was to normalize Kurdish stand-up comedy.”

The power of Kurdish humor

According to Kaya, Kurdish humor draws from the daily lives of Kurds:

“I’m not just telling my own story, I’m telling the story of Kurds. Our weddings, our condolences, our meals… The more familiar it is, the more enjoyable it is. The audience sees themselves on stage.”

Emphasizing that stand-up is not just about jokes, Kaya says he wants to normalize Kurdish art and language in all areas:

“We are struggling, but we don’t want those who come after us to struggle. There is Kurdish stand-up in the world, and that is normal.”

Continuing despite the difficulties

Kaya says that he sometimes faces obstacles in finding a stage, but he continues to perform in Kurdish by finding alternative ways:

“Sometimes they didn’t give us a venue. Maybe because it was in Kurdish… But I didn’t give up. We found an alternative, we met our audience somewhere else.”

Social media and the new generation

Erdal Kaya, who left teaching to focus entirely on theater and stand-up comedy, also actively uses social media. He posts his sketches and clips from his shows there. He believes social media is an important platform for reaching Kurdish audiences and increasing the visibility of art.

“Kurdish audiences deserve quality work”

Kaya states that simply speaking Kurdish on stage is not enough; it is also essential to deliver quality content:

“Kurds are very intelligent and understand humor very well. They deserve quality work. That’s why when I go on stage, I have to deliver something substantial.”

Future and hope

Kaya says he is hopeful about the development of Kurdish stand-up comedy and believes that art will grow along with the language:

“Kurdish is enough for art. Kurdish theater, Kurdish stand-up comedy, all of it should be natural for us. My goal is to make this language and art a normal thing everywhere.”