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Radio Skala Iskele

Radio Skala Iskele

Written by: Collective Skala Iskele
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Clenched fists and pairs of wings. That was the origin story of Skala / İskele.

A group of comrades living in the contested borderlands of Lesvos and Izmir—where the imaginary lines that define two states were drawn in the sea by patrol boats and migrant bodies—came together in pursuit of the wings hiding in clenched fists.

“Skala / İskele: A Transnational Podcast Project” aims to pursue certain questions by following the trail of diversity and richness of migration 100 years ago and today. It draws inspiration from commonalities between Turkey and Greece as its name suggests.

Skala in Greek and İskele in Turkish have similar meanings with various uses. From “the promenade” to “the pier”, from “the wharf” to “the musical scale”, and from “the scaffolding” to “the stairs”: both words refer to pluralistic and diverse elements of our urban livelihoods.

The project aims to amplify the “everyday-resistance” practices of displaced communities in their host countries by simply “partaking in urban space”. Through a transnational perspective, it plans to conduct episodes with specific themes, connecting the heritage and culture of several cities such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Lesvos, Ayvalik, and Izmir in various languages, and the role that migrants played / are playing in that heritage and culture.

Thus, Skala / İskele is an invitation.

An invitation that chants: “The Aegean Sea belongs to the fish!”
An invitation that screams: “To live, free and single like a tree / but in brotherhood like a forest.”
An invitation that sings: “Imagination to power!”

If hospitality is a virtue commonly shared here, so too is accepting an invitation.

So take your seat, crank up the sound—we have much to catch up on.

Instagram: @collectiveskalaiskele
Info: radio.skala-iskele@protonmail.comCopyright Collective Skala Iskele Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Episode 2, Part 4 - Music: “...I am a Murat, Mercedes I can’t be.”

    Episode 2, Part 4 - Music: “...I am a Murat, Mercedes I can’t be.”
    Jul 3 2026
    In 1966, Fiat produced one of its most influential cars: the Fiat 124. Fiat had high expectations for the vehicle, so it launched an ambitious publicity campaign to introduce it. In the famous advertisement, a Fiat 124 was dropped by parachute from a plane along with five crew members. The car became so influential that it almost immediately attracted the attention of several states seeking to develop national automobile industries. One of them was the Soviet Union.

    The Soviet Union entered bilateral talks with Fiat in 1966 and signed an agreement for Fiat to establish a massive automobile manufacturing plant in Samara Oblast under the name VAZ—the Russian acronym for Volga Automotive Plant. The first car produced under this collaboration was based on the design of the Fiat 124 and was named the VAZ-2101.

    The name VAZ-2101, however, underwent two important modifications for marketing purposes. The first concerned the domestic market: a robotic designation such as VAZ-2101 simply would have failed to resonate with people. VAZ designer A. M. Cherny proposed a name inspired by the strong winds sweeping across the hills surrounding Tolyatti—the Zhiguli Hills. Thus, the model name “Zhiguli” was born, evoking speed and movement.

    The second modification addressed foreign markets. Exports to Western countries, especially non-Slavic ones, presented a linguistic challenge. The pronunciation of “Zhiguli” coincidentally sounded awkwardly similar to the word “gigolo.” As a result, the name “Lada” was chosen as a more suitable export brand, drawing inspiration from the Slavic goddess of beauty and love.

    Zhiguli would go on to dominate the Soviet market, enjoying a level of popularity that arguably no other automobile achieved in the Soviet Union and beyond. Yet this name is rarely known in Turkey through the car; but rather through an accordionist…

    We continue from where we left off, moving further into the ways music binds identity, home, and migration together.

    And the understanding of people, nation, and land.Join us as we follow the footsteps of the winds of Zhiguli Mountains and the storms it bestowed upon the Balkans!

    Because this is Skala / Iskele!

    Follow, listen, contact!
    Webpage: skalaiskele.com
    Instagram: @collectiveskalaiskele
    Spreaker: /radioskalaiskele
    Spotify: /radioskalaiskeleLinktree: /collectiveskalaiskele
    Info: radio.skala-iskele@protonmail.com

    Narration: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek
    Editing - Production: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek
    Dubbing: Kavel, Lara

    Theme Song: Onur Şentürk (@zermosi)
    Logo Design: Roni Batte (@ronikkoo)

    List of Apperance:

    Arion Fırat Doğan
    Hüseyin Kaya Çavuş
    Ozan Kurt
    Praksis 1
    Praksis 2

    Music List in Appearance (Artist - Song):

    Ciguli - Yugoslav Köçek
    Brenna McCrimmon and Selim Sesler - Kalamatya
    Praksis - Açlık Ordusu
    Leopold Gad - Πηραν Τα Φρυγανα Φοτια, Πολη
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Episode 2, Part 3 - Music: “...and by sheer luck, we happened to be in its path.”

    Episode 2, Part 3 - Music: “...and by sheer luck, we happened to be in its path.”
    Jun 24 2026
    Episode 2, Part 3 - Music: “...and by sheer luck, we happened to be in its path.”

    In a 2019 television appearance, Ertan Saban shared an anecdote about the renaming of his homeland to North Macedonia, reflecting on history through the words of his father. During the negotiations between Greece and Macedonia, both states reached an agreement regarding their respective claims over the heritage of historical Macedonia, ultimately resolving one of the lingering disputes following the collapse of Yugoslavia through the adoption of the name “North Macedonia.”

    As the name change became official, Saban recalls seeing his father—a man of few words, a karate master, a no-nonsense figure—quietly absorbed in the news on television. Curious, Saban asked what he thought about it. His father’s response did not disappoint:

    “Son, I was born in Yugoslavia, in Skopje. Then I raised you in FYROM—the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Then I continued my life in Macedonia. And now I live in North Macedonia. I travelled through four different countries without ever leaving my home.”

    We continue from where we left off, moving further into the ways music binds identity, home, and migration together. And the understanding of people, nation, and land.

    After a long pause, we still invite you to join our journey in seeking to understand “the music that carries us away.”

    Because this is Skala / Iskele!

    Follow, listen, contact!

    Webpage: skalaiskele.com
    Instagram: @collectiveskalaiskele
    Spreaker: /radioskalaiskele
    Spotify: /radioskalaiskele

    Linktree: /collectiveskalaiskele
    Info: radio.skala-iskele@protonmail.com

    Narration: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek
    Editing - Production: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek
    Dubbing: Kavel

    Theme Song: Onur Şentürk (@zermosi)
    Logo Design: Roni Batte (@ronikkoo)

    List of Apperance:
    Arion Fırat Doğan
    Hüseyin Kaya Çavuş

    Music List in Appearance (Artist - Song):
    Achileas Poulos - Chakiji Zeibek
    Markos Melkon - To Dervisaki
    Achilleas Poulos - Neden Geldim Amerika’ya
    Murmurrica - Promo
    Müzisyen Kahvesi Çamdibi Müzisyenleri (Taken from: ToneGeo Musicmap / YouTube)
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Episode 2, Part 2 - Music: “...and the Slow Everlasting Groan of Overburdened Stone”

    Episode 2, Part 2 - Music: “...and the Slow Everlasting Groan of Overburdened Stone”
    Dec 14 2025
    In 1962, Mikis Theodorakis found himself in Cuba as part of a mission of the then EDA (United Democratic Left), visiting the island three years after the Cuban Revolution. During their trip, a feast was organized on the top floor of the “Havana Libre Hotel”, formerly known as the Hilton.

    There, Theodorakis found himself surrounded by Cuban revolutionaries: Fidel Castro, ministers of the revolutionary cabinet, and various figures of the movement. Their conversations revolved around Cuba’s current political climate and the global geopolitical landscape.

    Although the Cubans were deeply familiar with Ancient Greece, Theodorakis notes that they knew little about Modern Greece: “Homer”, “Aristotle”, and “Acropolis” were the three words he kept hearing directed toward him.

    As the dinner neared its end, the orchestra began playing a song — a song that would not only mark the beginning of a great friendship, but whose story would also gift us an earworm...

    It would have been a disservice to this project — which encapsulates the Population Exchange and migration — not to touch upon the topic of music.We continue from where we left off, moving further into the ways music binds identity, home, and migration together.

    And the understanding of people, nation, and land.Across three parts, we invite you to join our journey in seeking to understand “the music that carries us away.

    ”Because this is Skala / Iskele!

    Follow, listen, contact!

    Instagram: @collectiveskalaiskele
    Spotify: /radioskalaiskeleLinktree: /collectiveskalaiskele
    Info: radio.skala-iskele@protonmail.com

    Narration: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek
    Editing - Production: Ozan Mirkan Balpetek, Dirk Tobias Reijne
    Dubbing: Kavel

    Theme Song: Onur Şentürk (@zermosi)
    Logo Design: Roni Batte (@ronikkoo)

    List of Apperance:

    Andreas Kilciksiz
    Loukas Metaxas
    Onur Şentürk

    Music List in Appearance (Artist - Song):

    Mikis Theodorakis - An Thimithis to Oniro Mou (Covered by: Stamatis Stabos)
    Pontic Firebird - Yietierre
    Urban Modal - Karşıyaka’da İzmir’in Gülü
    Hariçten Gazelciler - Yollar
    Siamidis K. & Kourtidis G. - Tikia Touloum
    Kotsari (Κότσαρι)
    Urban Modal - I Maritsa I Smyrnia
    Urban Modal - Hovarda Zeybek / Αιβαλιώτικο Ζειμπέκικο
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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