Week 43 - in Turkey thoughts turn to the political

 Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Gul - Aegean Coast, Turkey




LIFE IN EXILE

This pandemic makes me feel exiled.


It’s always been my dream to spend some time in such a seaside town.


It wasn’t in the plan that we were away from our home, family, friends for 10 months because of a virus. If it is not your own choice, the best location is out of sight. Probably was for Trotsky too.


Leon Trotsky was one of the driving forces behind the Russian revolution, exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929, lived on one of the beautiful islands in Turkey, Büyükada.


Apparently, Trotsky lived a quiet life there, and the distance from the mainland gave Trotsky some sense of security from the assassins he knew Moscow was sent to hunt him down. (The Guardian, 8 Aug 2015).

 



HOPE IN EXILE

These days, many young people think of moving out of the country due to a lost hope for the future.


Many students from elite schools are planning to move out to live in a free society. This week, Bosphorus University students posted a video saying, I no longer feel I’m welcomed and listened to in my country. I feel sorry for my country.


They are the top students, scientists, engineers, that it was heartbreaking. 


ART IN EXILE

In the 1960s, Turkish workers arrived in Germany to fill the demand for factory jobs. They were called guest workers.


Nowadays, they are more highly skilled immigrants, the new wave of Turkish immigrants made of artists, musicians, academics, intellectuals, writers, and journalists whose freedom has been restricted in Turkey.  


For example, a well-known journalist and writer, Can Dundar, has lived in exile in Germany since 2016.



He has been reunited with his family in Berlin after his wife managed to flee Turkey.


Mehmet Ali Alabora, a well-known actor and activist who had to leave Turkey after the Gezipark protests, lives in Cardiff.


Alongside him are the writer Meltem Arikan and the actress Pinar Ogun; the three now call Cardiff their home. 



TURKEY WAS HOME FOR EXILED ACADEMICS

Since 2016, many academics, called Academics for Peace, signed a petition stating, we will not be part of this crime were forced to leave the country.


On the other hand, the same country provided a home for many scholars who fled from the Nazi regime. In 1933 was a turning point in the university system in Turkey.




Our genius founder Ataturk carried out political, social, legal, and cultural reforms. At the same time, Hitler came to power in Germany, and thousands of German academics had to flee.


They were welcomed with open arms; they shaped the future of the new Turkish academic world in various fields, from mathematics to architecture. We owe them for that.


Haymatloz – Exile in Turkey, a documentary, tells the story of 5 German Jewish academics who emigrated to Turkey in the 1930s. 


Ironically, apparently, Turkey gives a voice to individuals who were not provided a voice in Arab regions.


Turkey is now home to four million refugees along with Arab activists, journalists, and political figures. Istanbul’s Arab Media Association has more than 800 members, while many.


Turkish journalists move out from Turkey for the same reason. Istanbul also has become a place for LGBTQ Arabs; they say they feel safer here while the Turkish LGBTQ community at risk amid rising homophobic rhetoric. 


Well, what can I say? The grass is always greener on the other side…

 


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