The bards from Turkey's northeastern province of Bayburt are striving to sustain the aşık tradition, a practice that plays an important role in the transfer of ancient Anatolian culture to future generations, through online call-and-response duets amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The representatives of the tradition keep in touch with each other virtually as performance venues remain closed due to the pandemic. Through the aşık tradition, important themes of Anatolian culture, especially love, longing and divine love, are passed down from generation to generation with couplets accompanied by string instruments.

Following the COVID-19 safety measures, the bards now stay away from public areas and entertain people with their folk songs, barter words and couplets online.

Contributing both to the transfer of Anatolian culture to future generations and the survival of the aşık tradition, bards sometimes mention the coronavirus in their couplets as well.

Ali Sırrı Çoban has contributed to the survival of this culture for three decades in the city, under the pseudonym of Aşık Süphani. Aşık tradition has sustained for centuries in Bayburt, the land of Dede Korkut, the wise ancestor of the Turkic world, he told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Pointing out that folk poets draw upon themes like death, love, longing, social events and divine love in their poems, Çoban noted: "We have held programs over the phones since the month of Ramadan. During this period, I called my fellow bards on the phone, I talked to them and exchanged words. We made call-and-response duets with all the fellows we know."

Çoban said the public also takes interest in such broadcasts with words and string instruments, which are usually held in the evening hours. "We did not go out in public. We did as much as we can in our houses. We had a lot of listeners. People listened to me when I sang until early morning."

He added that the conversations and call-and-response duets are available for viewers on their social media accounts.