France is in the midst of a series of hundreds of cultural events aimed at promoting Turkish culture in France, which got under way July 1 with spectacular shows at Paris' Trocadéro Square.
More than 400 events reflecting various aspects of Turkish culture are not only being organized in Paris but also in such cities as Lille, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux throughout nine months, offering French citizens a chance to get to know Turks better through examples of contemporary art, architecture, photography, theater, dance, music and cinema.
The Season of Turkey presents an opportunity to introduce Turkish culture in Europe and establish cultural bridges between the two societies and of course altering the perception of Turkey in France and the overcoming of prejudices. It is important to note that the Season of Turkey and the reaction it receives are not confined to Paris. The best example for this is that France celebrated its Republic Day with artists from Turkey.
The deal to hold the Season of Turkey in France was signed during the term of office of President Jacques Chirac, and it was confirmed during the term of Nicolas Sarkozy. “The source of inspiration was the success of the French Spring series of cultural events organized in 2006 in Turkey on the occasion of a renewal of relations between the two countries,” says Görgün Taner, the general director of the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Art.
No doubt, there's an expectation of reinforcing cultural relations between the two countries which, in fact, have been in contact for centuries, since the Ottoman period. “We can summarize the expectations of the two countries as getting to know each other better, developing and maintaining cooperation in cultural, social and economic grounds,” confirms Taner. “We believe the season is going to influence the stereotypical ideas about Turkey in a positive way, that the French will get to know modern-day Turkey better and that this interest towards Turkey will continue after the season.”
One of the most important events of the Season of Turkey in France is the bestowing of the Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris (the Grand Medal of the City of Paris) on famous Turkish personalities: legendary photographer Ara Güler, art house filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk.
What's next for the Season of Turkey in France?
Turkey is the subject of around 400 events held in France during the nine-month Season of Turkey in France, running through March 31, 2010. Not just the capital but also other cities host events as part of the Season of Turkey, which boasts a budget of around 20 to 30 million euros.
Among the most significant events in the remaining two-thirds of the Season of Turkey is an exhibition that will open early next month at Paris' Grand Palais. On Oct. 8 President Abdullah Gül and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, will jointly inaugurate the “From Byzantium to İstanbul, One Port for Two Continents” exhibition, one of the major shows in the lineup. The chronological exhibition, illustrating the different phases in the history of the city, will feature a selection of 300 items from various Turkish, French and international collections.
Three other major thematic exhibitions are scheduled to go on display at the Louvre from Oct. 11 to Jan. 18, 2010. These are: “At the Court of the Great Turk: Kaftans from Topkapı Palace,” a look at the Ottoman court lifestyle and the sultan's regalia through kaftans, jewelry and accessories that once belonged to members of the imperial family; “From İzmir to Smyrna, Discovery of an Ancient City,” a chronological look at the Greek and Roman roots of the Aegean city with its monuments, carvings and most typical artworks; and the “Royal Tombs of Anatolia, Alaca Höyük in the Third Millennium,” which will explore the period of chiefs of tribes and clans in Anatolia in the third millennium BC.
Author Orhan Pamuk will be featured at a literary gathering called “An Exceptional Encounter with Orhan Pamuk” on Oct. 7 at the Villa Gillet, the prominent cultural institution in Lyon, just two days after he speaks at an event dedicated to him at Paris' Odéon Theater.
The season will wrap up with an exhibition by the French-based Armenian-Turkish conceptual artist Sarkis Zabunyan, a true bridge linking the two countries, who will unveil an exceptional installation at the Centre Pompidou.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Duchess of York to face extradition by Turkish authorities?
The Duchess of York could face extradition to Turkey after Turkish authorities issued a request for her to be questioned over an undercover television documentary.
The Turkish government was furious after she made a documentary into the state of the country's orphanages which claimed that children were being neglected and maltreated. The Duchess, disguised in a black wig and headscarf, was accompanied by her teenage daughter Princess Eugenie who was moved to tears by the scenes they filmed. She has been accused of breaking Turkey's strict privacy laws by carrying out the secret recording.
The Turkish authorities have now passed a formal request to the Home Office for the Duchess to be questioned, according to reports. The Turkish authorities have already spoken out against the Duchess, accusing her of trying to smear the country's image in order to prevent it joining the EU.
Nimet Cubukcu, the Turkish minister responsible for women and family, said: "It is obvious that in this incidence that she is trying to leave Turkey in the midst of a smudge campaign.''
But her spokesman Kate Waddington insisted the Duchess was not trying to be political: "The Duchess of York is apolitical; therefore she has no political motivations. This is all about the welfare of children.''
The Duchess filmed inside the Saray institution near Ankara, where more than 700 disabled children are housed.
The Turkish government was furious after she made a documentary into the state of the country's orphanages which claimed that children were being neglected and maltreated. The Duchess, disguised in a black wig and headscarf, was accompanied by her teenage daughter Princess Eugenie who was moved to tears by the scenes they filmed. She has been accused of breaking Turkey's strict privacy laws by carrying out the secret recording.
The Turkish authorities have now passed a formal request to the Home Office for the Duchess to be questioned, according to reports. The Turkish authorities have already spoken out against the Duchess, accusing her of trying to smear the country's image in order to prevent it joining the EU.
Nimet Cubukcu, the Turkish minister responsible for women and family, said: "It is obvious that in this incidence that she is trying to leave Turkey in the midst of a smudge campaign.''
But her spokesman Kate Waddington insisted the Duchess was not trying to be political: "The Duchess of York is apolitical; therefore she has no political motivations. This is all about the welfare of children.''
The Duchess filmed inside the Saray institution near Ankara, where more than 700 disabled children are housed.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Turkish town hit by another quake.
A second earthquake, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale, jolted the Turkish province of Konya on Friday, triggering new panic, Anatolia news agency reported.
The quake struck at 4:58 am (0158 GMT) with an epicentre near the town of Selcuklu, more than seven hours after a first tremor measuring 4.5 struck with the same epicentre, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.
Hundreds of people went to hospitals after both tremors, most of them complaining of shock and a small number suffering from minor injuries sustained after jumping out of balconies or windows, Anatolia said.
Residents of the central province's main city which bears the same name spent the rest of the evening outdoors under blankets or in cars, it added.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which is crossed by several major fault lines. Two violent earthquakes in the heavily populated, industrialised northwest claimed about 20,000 lives in August and November 1999.
The quake struck at 4:58 am (0158 GMT) with an epicentre near the town of Selcuklu, more than seven hours after a first tremor measuring 4.5 struck with the same epicentre, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.
Hundreds of people went to hospitals after both tremors, most of them complaining of shock and a small number suffering from minor injuries sustained after jumping out of balconies or windows, Anatolia said.
Residents of the central province's main city which bears the same name spent the rest of the evening outdoors under blankets or in cars, it added.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which is crossed by several major fault lines. Two violent earthquakes in the heavily populated, industrialised northwest claimed about 20,000 lives in August and November 1999.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Turkey's Erdogan to relax restrictions on Kurdish TV channels
The Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to relax restrictions on private Kurdish television channels, it was confirmed on Monday.
According to the Turkish High Council for Radio and Television (RTUK), discussions on the implementation of the plans are already under way. The scheme is part of the 'democratic opening' announced this summer by Erdogan, intended to strengthen the rights of Turkey's Kurds. The scheme will focus particularly on cultural rights.
Private Kurdish channels will now be allowed to broadcast for 24 hours a day, instead of the current 45 minutes, according to reports in the Turkish media. Channels will no longer be obliged to provide Turkish subtitles and other editorial restrictions will also be lifted. But television stations will still be banned from transmitting programmes which teach the Kurdish language.
The government says it has increasing support from the Turkish population for its plans.
The move comes as part of wider plans to put an end to the 25 year conflict with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a militant group regarded as a terrorist organisation by the state, which fights for the rights of Kurds.
'Everyone wants an end to the terror,' said the Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay last week. 'Everybody wants to have better democratic standards, nobody's against that.'
More than 35,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the Turkish army. The imprisoned head of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, submitted a peace plan to the government in Ankara last month.
Ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 for high treason, though as a result of international pressure his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in 2002. He is now the only inmate of a prison on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara.
According to the Turkish High Council for Radio and Television (RTUK), discussions on the implementation of the plans are already under way. The scheme is part of the 'democratic opening' announced this summer by Erdogan, intended to strengthen the rights of Turkey's Kurds. The scheme will focus particularly on cultural rights.
Private Kurdish channels will now be allowed to broadcast for 24 hours a day, instead of the current 45 minutes, according to reports in the Turkish media. Channels will no longer be obliged to provide Turkish subtitles and other editorial restrictions will also be lifted. But television stations will still be banned from transmitting programmes which teach the Kurdish language.
The government says it has increasing support from the Turkish population for its plans.
The move comes as part of wider plans to put an end to the 25 year conflict with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a militant group regarded as a terrorist organisation by the state, which fights for the rights of Kurds.
'Everyone wants an end to the terror,' said the Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay last week. 'Everybody wants to have better democratic standards, nobody's against that.'
More than 35,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the Turkish army. The imprisoned head of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, submitted a peace plan to the government in Ankara last month.
Ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 for high treason, though as a result of international pressure his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in 2002. He is now the only inmate of a prison on the island of Imrali in the Sea of Marmara.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Turkish cultural center opens in Orlando
“We believe that small, positive actions make significant changes in our lives and the world,” says Mehmet Taskan, outreach representative for the Orlando Turkish Cultural Center, which opened with a big inauguration ceremony in the US last week.
Growing out of the Nile Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2003 to promote a better understanding of the Turkish community living in Orlando, the goal of the center is to promote intercultural relations between all people of different nations.
During the grand opening of the center, there were live Turkish music performances and traditional Turkish folk dancing, and guests were served Turkish food. The center features a ballroom named “İstanbul,” a traditional Anatolian room, classrooms, a library, a small grocery store, a play room for children, a meeting room and an office.
Among the activities the Nile Foundation has organized so far are annual dialogue dinners, dialogue nights, trips to Turkey, humanitarian work, cooking classes, local field trips, art exhibitions, community visits, Turkish language classes, food and handcraft festivals, essay contests for middle school and high school students, weekend classes and Ramadan dinners.
Facing the challenges of today's world, Taskan says they chose to contribute to solutions through dialogue and educational, cultural and humanitarian efforts. “The Nile Foundation approaches the world with realistic optimism to build a better future for tomorrow. Our main principles for dialogue are paramount to our activities and mission: Be peaceful and respectful, accept each other the way we are, engage in dialogue not debate, focus on our similarities as humans while acknowledging our differences,” he adds.
Growing out of the Nile Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2003 to promote a better understanding of the Turkish community living in Orlando, the goal of the center is to promote intercultural relations between all people of different nations.
During the grand opening of the center, there were live Turkish music performances and traditional Turkish folk dancing, and guests were served Turkish food. The center features a ballroom named “İstanbul,” a traditional Anatolian room, classrooms, a library, a small grocery store, a play room for children, a meeting room and an office.
Among the activities the Nile Foundation has organized so far are annual dialogue dinners, dialogue nights, trips to Turkey, humanitarian work, cooking classes, local field trips, art exhibitions, community visits, Turkish language classes, food and handcraft festivals, essay contests for middle school and high school students, weekend classes and Ramadan dinners.
Facing the challenges of today's world, Taskan says they chose to contribute to solutions through dialogue and educational, cultural and humanitarian efforts. “The Nile Foundation approaches the world with realistic optimism to build a better future for tomorrow. Our main principles for dialogue are paramount to our activities and mission: Be peaceful and respectful, accept each other the way we are, engage in dialogue not debate, focus on our similarities as humans while acknowledging our differences,” he adds.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Turkish frigate captures five pirates off Somalia: army
A Turkish frigate intercepted a skiff off Somalia and captured five pirates Tuesday on suspicion that they were preparing for attacks, the Turkish military said.
The Gaziantep, operating with NATO forces in the region, seized the skiff in the Gulf of Aden with the help of a helicopter and amphibian commandos.
The Turkish operation was launched after intelligence that the boat was moving close to two ships, sailing under the British and Marshall Islands flags, within a "safe corridor" guarded by the multi-national naval force to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels.
"A possible ship hijacking has been prevented," the statement said, adding that instruments used in piracy were found on the skiff. The Turkish force captured 12 pirates in two similar operation last month.
The world's naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the lawless waters off Somalia over the past year to curb attacks by pirates threatening one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year, a rise of more than 200 percent over 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
A Turkish bulk carrier with a 23-strong crew remains captive in the region since July 8.
The Gaziantep, operating with NATO forces in the region, seized the skiff in the Gulf of Aden with the help of a helicopter and amphibian commandos.
The Turkish operation was launched after intelligence that the boat was moving close to two ships, sailing under the British and Marshall Islands flags, within a "safe corridor" guarded by the multi-national naval force to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels.
"A possible ship hijacking has been prevented," the statement said, adding that instruments used in piracy were found on the skiff. The Turkish force captured 12 pirates in two similar operation last month.
The world's naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the lawless waters off Somalia over the past year to curb attacks by pirates threatening one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year, a rise of more than 200 percent over 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
A Turkish bulk carrier with a 23-strong crew remains captive in the region since July 8.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Signs of progress in making peace with Kurds
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk Wednesday suggesting a move towards reconciliation between the government and the main Kurdish political group, the Democratic Society Party (DTP), which Turk chairs, according to a report in the Hurriyet newspaper.
"We are in the middle of a process, and I believe our hopes for the future have increased with today’s meeting," Erdogan told reporters.
Erdogan had refused to meet with the DTP since the 2007 elections because it did not condemn militant activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Turkey and the United States consider the militant group a terrorist organization.
The government's so-called "Kurdish move" is an attempt to resolve decades-old tensions between Kurds, who constitute at least a 12 million-strong minority in Turkey, and the Turkish government.
About 40,000 have died in 25 years of fighting between the PKK and the Turkish government. PKK guerrillas based in Northern Iraq were also a point of contention with the United States and the Iraqi government. Just this week, two PKK guerrillas were killed in eastern Turkey.
"We are in the middle of a process, and I believe our hopes for the future have increased with today’s meeting," Erdogan told reporters.
Erdogan had refused to meet with the DTP since the 2007 elections because it did not condemn militant activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Turkey and the United States consider the militant group a terrorist organization.
The government's so-called "Kurdish move" is an attempt to resolve decades-old tensions between Kurds, who constitute at least a 12 million-strong minority in Turkey, and the Turkish government.
About 40,000 have died in 25 years of fighting between the PKK and the Turkish government. PKK guerrillas based in Northern Iraq were also a point of contention with the United States and the Iraqi government. Just this week, two PKK guerrillas were killed in eastern Turkey.
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