Yavuz Günal

Yavuz Gunal is the stage name of Yavuz Kirma, a Turkish stand-up comedian born in Eskisehir in 1988. He studied at Anadolu University in Eskisehir and worked for a time in graphic design and writing before turning to stand-up comedy. He began performing with the BKM Mutfak open microphone program in 2013 and has lived in Istanbul since that year, building a following through club sets and his own touring show, 'Yavuz diye bi cocuk var' (loosely, 'There's this kid named Yavuz'), a title inspired by how audience members described him to others after his early open mic sets. His comedy centers on social customs, daily life and cultural issues, occasionally drawing on religious and historical references. One such routine, built around the film 'Cagri' and referencing Islamic narratives including the Hijra cave story and the accounts of the prophets Abraham and Moses, led to a criminal investigation after being reported as insulting to religious values. Prosecutors in Ankara sought a prison sentence of six months to a year against him over the material, with the indictment forwarded to an Ankara court.