Turkish-Dutch singer and songwriter Karsu Dönmez, whose parents immigrated to the Netherlands from Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, collected nearly €89 million in a donation campaign on Wednesday for the victims of the earthquake that hit southeast Turkey and northwest Syria.
Karsu had lost 16 of her relatives under the rubble in one of the worst-hit provinces of Hatay due to the two major earthquakes that took place nine hours apart on 6 February.
Karsu sang prominent Turkish folk music singer Neşet Ertaş’s emotional ballad “Neredesin Sen”, which translates as “Where Are You” in English, in the donation concert broadcast live on Dutch TV.
The singer explained that the song was in memory of the earthquake victims, including her cousin who died in the disaster. Karsu recalled that when her cousin could not get through to her by phone, she would leave a voice message that said, “Where are you?” and this memory had prompted the song dedication.
