More than just an indie rock band, WTFKistan is a musical and transdisciplinary movement. At the heart of the project lies contemporary Uyghur poetry — in both words and images — aiming to promote a new form of humanism, grounded in reconnecting with the land and with those who are deprived of it.
 

The band’s repertoire consists of original songs, with lyrics — sometimes translated into English — borrowed from Uyghur poets, some of whom are exiled, missing, or detained in Chinese camps.

Among the group’s conscious musical influences are Neil Young, The Decemberists, and Askar Gray Wolf. The delicacy of their compositions and the song structures also evoke the soundscapes of The Verve or Jeff Buckley.
 

Mirka, Uyghur singer and guitarist, initiated the project after meeting Haydar, a French-Turkish drummer and percussionist, in 2017. In 2022, Parisian multi-instrumentalist Désiré LH joined them.

The band's first concert in 2022, held to celebrate Uyghur New Year (Norouz - نوروز), marked the beginning of a partnership with the Uyghur Institute of Europe.

WTFKistan is also supported by various Uyghur collectives and diaspora groups around the world, such as the Uyghur Collective.

Since 2023, filmmaker and photographer Oscar Barrouyer has been working alongside the project, producing videos and visuals. A documentary about the project and the Uyghur poets is also in the works.

In 2023, at the JIMI event, Mirka visited the stand of The Queen Is Dead Records and introduced WTFKistan to Laurent Auffret, who immediately connected with both the cause and the musical universe.

In 2024, Miti, a Uyghur graphic designer based in Italy, offered his support to the collective.
 

WTFKistan’s mission is to bring together artists from diverse disciplines to expand its musical, poetic, visual, and humanist commitment.