ISTANBUL

GALATASARAY: WE ARE THE CHAMPION !!!

Ozi — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:40:00 +02:00

Galatasaray won the Turkish league title for the 17th time on Saturday with a 2-0 win against Genclerbirligi Oftas, wresting the championship back from their Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce. The victory in the final match of the season lifted Galatasaray to 79 points, six ahead of second-placed Fenerbahce, who lost 2-0 at Trabzonspor.

THOUSANDS FAN OF GALATARAY CHANTED 'CILDIRIN' SONG AND DANCED IN FRONT OF ALI SAMIYEN STADIUM, INCLUDING ME!!!!

Cafebabel; Freedom Square of the Eurogeneration

Ozi — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:57:00 +02:00

Özcan Tikit, Cafebabel Istanbul

World Wide Web, Internet, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 are the crucial steps taken toward shaping the digital age. Develepoments about internet, transforming our lives and minds so fast, sometimes we feel paralysed for following new terms. Although I follow developments about internet so ambitously sometimes I feel like failing at some points. I used to see web.2 0 as a technical term, however last week while discussing importance of web 2.0 with my friend Yasemin, I realized something interesting and described web 2.0 as a freedoom square of virtual world rather than a technological term. As I guessed she did not agree with me. Meanwhile I should tell you Yasemin hates social network websites, because whenever she hears web 2.0, she remembers websites like bebo and netlog which she hate with some fair reasons. I should admit I was a bit frightened after seeing her red hot reaction against my innoncent idea and I was at the edge of the apologize if she had shouted on me:)… Fortunately she said me she would not not care my idea but could listen me to understand how mad I was…! Anyway critisizing websites like bebo is not exactly what I am trying to share and it was an important opportunity to persuade her.

After catching the ball shooted by Yasemin, I started to play and explain my claim. In fact it is not so difficult to understand this idea and it is not a crazy idea as it sounds. You can see people can interact whenever we want we can exchange our ideas on web 2.0 sites just like I am doing at the moment .

Democracy fighters living in undemocratical countries like Iran, Syria and Myanmar are able to inform communities about abuses, tortures against people by logging in their blogs and web 2.0 sites. Just a photograph or a document published on web 2.0 sites can influence millions of peoples and may result in goverments” official condemnations, celebrations, or protest demostrations in the streets. Torture against Buddhists monks in Myanmar and reactions, denouncments coming foreign countries can be shown as an evidence about importance of web. 2 0 sites for freedom and democracy.

I know lots of Iraninan bloggers informing us about unfair executions, they use fake names on web.2 0 sites, and this is the reason behind ban on web.2 sites in these undemocratical countries. Internet provides us a world beyond the borders, because of those web 2. 0 sites we are able meet new friends from thousands kilometers far away. It depends on internet users, relations starting on web.2 0 sites may end with marriage or transform a political campaign. So far I heard hundreds social and political campaigns starting on internet and tranforming to a street campaign, beside this I am sure there are lots of people around you who met the prince or princess in their dreams because of web 2.0 sites. It seems like we are the witnesses of web.2.0 history even we are not aware of it completely.

After listening my short explanation, Yasemin agreed with me. So what is your opinion about web 2.0...Do you are agree with me, that the web.2 0 will be the new freedom square of the digital age and with it's new web.2 0 style Cafebabel.com will be the freedom square of the Eurogeneration? If so, I think cafebabel.com should accept this sentence as a slogan describing babel international community.

Turkey’s Lost It's Erotic Voice

Ozi — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:59:00 +02:00

Cafebabel, Istanbul

BULVAR, the only daily erotic newspaper of Turkey is closed as result of compensation trials. Bulvar was one of the unique member of Turkish Media Group Companies . Bulvar, newspaper of the soldier barracks, also known with it’s hot and funny style. Daily Circulation avarage of Bulvar was approximately 40.000. There were just 10 working for it and according to medyatava.com; because of erotic advertisements, Bulvar was one of the unique newspaper able to afford it's paper expenses.

Legs, Heads & 1 May in Taksim-Istanbul

Ozi — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:58:00 +02:00

Özcan TIKIT

In 1977, on May 1 demostrations 35 people were killed and 127 demonstrator injured. Second time Istanbul Taksim square is on the verge of becoming an horror scene and I suggest you to keep your eyes on Istanbul. While Labour Unions and lots of NGO’s insisting on to celebrate 1 May Labour day in Taksim, Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler threatened Labour Unions not to demonstrate on May 1 in Taksim Square. Guler said if the unions and the workers march to Taksim Square 16000 policemen will attack and stop them. Guler said on 1 May Labor and Solidarity Day, labour unions demostration plan in Taksim would determined as an illegal demostration. He said they heard intelligence reports, some terrorist groups were plannig to attack on police with gunfire on 1 May in Taksim, he added that police would not let them use its force to frustrate these terrorist groups. So some people should tell Mr Guler, if he have recived this intelligence, he must frustrate this terrorist plan, but threatening labour unions and students can not be a solution to prevent terrorist plans.

This is not the first threat of Guler, also last year he didn’t let labour unions to demostrate in Taksim Square. As a result of his order, last year thousands of police attacked on students and workers, lots of activists injured. Eventually Taksim became scene of a chaos.

Just before Guler’s threat to Labour Unions, PM Recep Erdogan declared his historical statement by saying “The place, where the legs became head would be scene of the doomsday”.Lots of politicians and unionists criticized Erdogan for his unfortunate declaration. I would like to remind Mr. Erdogan that once he was leg but today he is the head of the state.

Democracy is a regime which the legs could become the head, so he should think once more and apologize from legs who are the real founder of the democratical Turkey. AKP goverment and Mr Erdogan should stop remembering democracy and human rights just when it comes to closure trial aganist their party because democrasy is the priority demand of Turkey.

The lives of Turkish women revolutionized on the silver screen

Dorte — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:41:00 +02:00

By Mireille THORNTON ÇOLAK, Istanbul

Amongst an impressive range of artistic direction, two documentary films at the last Istanbul Film Festival stood out for me. Juxtaposed, they complimented each other with a common theme of encountering and transcending stereotypes of Turkish women as veiled and submissive. So, reactions from the apparently more urbane and cosmopolitan audience, provoked on occasion by the potently counter-intuitive humor of the film’s subjects, were fascinating too.

The first feature, “Lilit’in Kizkardeşleri” or “Sisters of Lilith,” directed by Emel Çelebi, depicted the lives of three independent women living close with nature in Anatolia. Lilith is a goddess whose image differs from culture to culture – her image explained by Çelebi as becoming increasingly demonized as Hebrew patriarchy took hold. Lilith became feared as a figure of power and liberation, the original feminist “sister.” As the Sumerian goddess, she was honored for her wisdom, sexuality, freedom, courage and playfulness. In Western tradition, she was the first woman, made directly by God alongside Adam.

The first part of “Sisters of Lilith,” Hatice’s, was the most joyful to see. Married but desiring her freedom to live freely on her land more than anything else, Hatice lives solo with her animals and her short-wave radio, the names of world leaders that she hears the inspiration for the formers’ names. A tourist visitor from the UK took issue with her naming a dog “John Major” saying the former UK prime minister’s name was no name for an animal, whereas “Tony Blair” would have been much more appropriate.

Her funny stories, the beautiful landscape of her home, her intimate knowledge of it and her ordered anarchy made me want to hear and see more. Coping with the boredom and the risks of life lived alone shepherding in the mountains, Hatice relished the personal freedom of being far from the village, saying she would prefer life in the city to that of the village were she compelled to choose.

The fisher of the second part of the film found her independence through the death of her husband who had been her working companion at sea. She slowly gained the skills she had seen him employ with the nets, the boat and the fish, setting out on the waters alone day after day out of necessity, despite her inability to swim. Other fishing women depicted in the film – reminding me of some women back in my own home village in the UK – laughed as they said they envied her fearlessness and freedom going out in her boat alone. They made jokes too about their work making them smell constantly of fish and their own on-the-edge swimming skills: “Just enough to save my life if I have to.”

The final part of “Sisters of Lilith” introduced life in an Anatolian village where women do most of the fieldwork while the men laze on by. Captivating up-close footage of silk-making – from collecting the cocoons to the cleansing, spinning and weaving – showed just one of the women’s ancient skills. After the scenes of women working hard picking cotton in the fields, to pay for their daughters dowries or their own hernia operations, the most comic shot was of a man, standing alone and apparently clueless amongst the plants as though he really did not know where to start. The message was that the women had earned a measure of “equality” with their men through their collective labor, one of them announcing her courage in trading fields herself when her husband was away on other business. But they also complained that they worked so hard that sometimes they forgot they were women – and I wasn’t convinced that they felt equal with the men they lived alongside, despite their freedoms.

Though the stories in “Sisters of Lilith” were promoted as depicting life lived “in harmony with nature,” “Nature” in fact was left an open category in these films, romanticized through the sheer beauty of the screen locations, but not without some acknowledgement of its hardships too. Modernity had clearly had impacts on the lives of all these women in one way or another through media and markets. The crucial question remaining is what impact the grounded lives and productive identities of women like these may yet have on modernity, in times when aspects of modernity are more clearly failing more people than ever before.

And a note: Çelebi dedicated her film to Pippa Bacca, the Italian artist on the solo stretch of her hitchhike journey to Israel on a mission of peace, whose cause and peacework gained worldwide mass media attention only through the terrible event of her being raped and killed.

But the second film, “How is it like outside” or “Dışarısı nasıl?” directed by Nursel Doğan, was a tougher watch, and differently inspirational.

Through interviews with the subject, her son and friends, Doğan portrayed the story of Yildiz, a woman who has struggled through a repressive and violent forced marriage and out the other side, casting off the “toga” (full-body and face covering) that was also imposed by her family along the way. Yildiz realized the opportunity to refuse the covering spontaneously whilst awaiting her mother in the hospital who had collapsed upon seeing Yildiz’s face severely beaten and bloodied by her husband.

Yıldız told her story of forging an entirely new life for herself and her children in dire circumstances and through committed friendships, political beliefs and activity and through the hard work of basic manual labor to keep the money coming in and her children fed and clothed. She had to try to hide her activities from her husband, who would beat her if he arrived home before her. When filing for divorce, Yildiz needed evidence of her husband’s violence and so had to endure “a beating” to provide it – and yet then was old by the police and judges that this was not enough, and she needed to call them while her husband was hitting her.

Yildiz strength and intrinsic self-confidence shone through the film. Though forced to quit school at 14, she later learned to read and took up study. Through her work cleaning in a school for mentally challenged children, Yildiz spoke about her growing awareness of life beyond herself and joining political movements, to stand up for what she believed in. The film depicted hunger strikes and mass rallies. Her friends inquired into her quietness on her first journey to a public demonstration: “I just want to be a good revolutionary,” she said.

Her sharing of her story is without doubt a good revolutionary step. But Doğan’s stirring film cannot be shown in Yıldız’s home region, Erzurum, because of “political reasons,” said Yıldız. While she wants to reach more people with her story and film work, Yıldız’s family has also thus far refused to see Doğan’s film or even look at the promotional material for it. And I wondered what happened to her husband – a clearly unhappy and himself deeply damaged man – and what support there could possibly be for him to change for the better. But the beautiful woman who introduced the film she starred in glowed in comparison to her work-worn though funny and indomitable figure on-screen.

In both films, the women themselves embodied, lived and yet contradicted and surpassed the two-dimensional stereotypes of Turkish – or more specifically peasant-culture Anatolian – women as closeted, veiled and secluded, dependent and family-bound. But a foundation of their strength and self-confidence came many times from clear recognition of their vulnerabilities. I hope these films will go a long way further yet. As Celebi welcomed the audience: “İyi seyeler.”

Foreign in my own country

Dorte — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:34:00 +02:00

By MÜJGAN, Istanbul

I was only about 14 when my whole family decided to return home, back to our home country Turkey. Return back? For me it was not a return back. The only return I could have made was going back to Germany. Anyway, I suddenly found myself in a foreign country which I only knew from a couple of holiday trips. A country whose language I hardly spoke and where people’s everyday life seemed completely unusual to me.

As a 14-year old I was not authorised to make my own decisions. So I ended up in a country where people gazed with wonder at me, the “almancı”, in fact right from the first day we moved to a small city near Istanbul.

In Germany, I had been a Turk – here I became an almancı. At least people were not able to see that right away, my being different, whereas in Germany, my ethnic origins had always made a visible difference.

Wondering gazes is indeed what I received a lot. So it was not for no reason that sometimes – when once again someone made efforts to hear my broken, newly learned Turkish – I felt like a monkey in the circus having to perform artful stunts. And they burst out laughing when I made a mistake or did not get the gist of a conversation.

This is also why I was relegated to a class two levels below my own. As if a lack of language skills reflected a lack of knowledge!

All too well I remember my first day at my new Turkish school. Our first lesson: social studies. My fellow students are writing an exam. I am told to sit down at one of the empty desks – though luckily I don’t have to take part in the exam. Silently, a little intimidated because everything is new to me, I remain sitting on my chair. As soon as I turn my head to one the students next to me, however, my teacher snaps at me. I don’t understand everything she says, nor why she gets so angry with me. It occurs to me that she might think I had passed a cheat sheet to the other student. I can hardly speak the language and already in the middle of some conspiracy. With my broken Turkish I try to explain that I don’t even know what the lesson is about and that I am not capable of writing cheat sheets. The teacher, however, does not listen to me but gives me a slap in the face. My cheeks are glaring red when I silently sit myself down again.

Yet another custom I would not get used to very easily: that you have to stand up whle you are talking during the lesson. Would the teacher not see me if I didn’t? Was it more healthy to stand while you are talking? Questions like that were impossible to ask. I was also amazed at how easy it was in my new school to receive a slap in the face.

No less than 25 years have passed since then. A quarter of a century. Still, I somehow feel German in many respects. Many people are surprised that I don’t have an accent in Turkish – after all the teasing I tried very hard and put a lot of effort into learning the language really well. When I tell people that forty per cent of me is German, they immediately ask about my parents. I have given up on explaining to everyone why forty per cent of me is German even though my parents are both of Turkish origin. I simply tell people that my grandfather was German. This can make life a lot easier.

I belong to none of the two countries fully – this much I know. Much rather I am somewhere in between, as a kind of hybrid being between both worlds. Even though sixty per cent of me is Turkish, I somehow feel foreign here in Turkey. Which is also positive in a way because it gives me the opportunity to keep a kind of distance from which I can look at this country, always with a certain feeling of estrangement. An estrangement which also helps me when I write. How else would I have been able to write this text?

Translation from German by Dorte HUNEKE

Feeling Ashamed From Other's Crime

Ozi — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:16:00 +02:00

Do you know, what is it like to be feeling ashamed for a crime you are not involved in?. This is the what the Turkish people feeling in these days. Lots of nonsense events occured in last 1 month. I felt confused and stuck whether to write about these shameful incidents or not, I was confused because as I learned from my 8 years journalism experience, writing about whatever you heard and inform the society, is the prior responsiblity of the journalist. As a result I decided to share my feelings about most shameful event occured in my country this month.

In fact the world heard about it but less people know what mostly we felt as Turkish society. The shameful event was against a woman, a peace activist missed in Turkey during her tour from Milan to Jerusalem. Pippa Bacca visited Turkey, walked about in Taksim, chatted with Turkish people, took photographes and after leaving Istanbul, her family living in Italy contacted Turkish police and said Pippa was lost. After 2 weeks Italian artist Pippa Bacca’s body found in Gebze, 3 hours away from Istanbul. Pippa Bacca raped, killed and burried in Gebze and murderer lorry driver detained by police .

It was 11 April’s morning, I read this news from Aksam Newspaper , which I work as a foreing editor, Although Aksam is the paper I am working for and has never doubted about it”s news, sudddenly I switched on tv and zapped the tv channels to find a news that could disprove this news. Sadly my hopeless zapping did not long too much and SKYTURK announced the confirming statement of Gebze Police Chief . Then, I heard other editors who have just heard the news and I can coherently say that maybe it was the first moment all Aksam Newspaper editors were feeling same and were all in an hard situation to describe their condemnation against this brutality so shameful.

So what was the point which was making us feel so shameful at the same time? And Was it the first brutality news against a woman in Turkey? Certainly it wasn’t the first, several times before we read and wrote brutal crimes agaist women, but this time there was something different making us feel more ashamed. This time the victim was a foreign woman, Throughout centuries “hospitality” has been the unique word describing character of people living in Anatolia, also we have been known with our hospitality against our enemies. In 1916, the great leader and founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal’s wrote a letter for foreign soldiers killed while fighting to invade our country “The heroes shed their blood and lost their lives…You are lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace, there is no diffirence between the Johnnies and the Mehmet’s to us where they lie side by side here in this country of our. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far a way countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying on this land they have become our sons as well”, his letter to foreign soldiers mother was most importan point describing Anatolian’s hospitality.

Özcan TİKİT

Rehn: Turkey to join the EU within 10-15 years

Ozi — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:29:00 +02:00

EU Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn said German Die Welt daily that he expected Turkey to join the EU within 10-15 years in case it maintained reforms firmly. Rehn said the EU was planning to open two new chapter headings with Turkey in June. Asked what the EU expected from Turkey, Rehn said Turkey was passing through a very critical period, which it had not experienced since the start of EU membership negotiations in 2005. Commenting on the possible reaction of the EU in case Turkey's ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party is closed, Rehn said the ban would damage the reform process.

We Want You

Dorte — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:51:00 +02:00

istanbul.Cafebabel.com/en welcomes you to contribute! Are you an exchange student living near the Bosphorus? Are you - working - living - thinking - in Istanbul?

Share with us what moves you in your life between Europe and Asia. How do you perceive the negotiations between Turkey and the EU? What do you think about Europe? We look forward to learning about your experience and ideas, impressions, fears and hopes.

For example also on the following topics:

Studying in Istanbul
From Europe, the US ... back to my parents' home country
Female, young & in Istanbul

Please write to d.huneke@cafebabel.com.

Turkish Emotional Intelligence

Dorte — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:25:00 +02:00

Turkey has been made to feel ’unwanted’ in Europe, said the Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan this week at an international conference for politicians and policy-makers in Istanbul organized by Wilton Park, a prestigious conference centre in the UK.

Why does everything to do with Europe and Turkey always immediately become so emotionish? On the European side this is hardly any different. There is – among all those reasonable claims for reform and various historical investigations into the roots of European culture – the lingering spectre of Turkey, a diffuse fear of this powerful successor of Ottoman inheritance.

In Europe, there are two camps of opinion: one camp wants to have Turkey, the other wants to have Turkey out of the European game. Both find arguments to support their stance. In Turkey, there is – apart from a small group of notorious EU-opponents, usually for nationalist reasons – a large majority which shares a split opinion about the EU. This group of divided minds supports Turkey’s candidacy to the EU as such. At the same time it feels disappointed by recent developments. They want to join the EU but are tired are waiting and feel rejected. They say: So what, we don’t need the EU. If they don’t want us, we don’t want them either. They want to be wanted. A spark of hope, however, has remained in the hearts of those who tend to give a cold shoulder to the EU. The hidden sparks easily grow into passionate flames whenever a European politicians speaks positively about Turkey’s candidacy to the EU. This then feels good again.

A week ago, the Turkish Prime Minister proudly stated in front of students in Sarajevo his country had nothing to loose if Europe decided to keep it out. In fact, the EU would be the loser, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying by the high-circulation daily Hürriyet. The question then is, however, whether and why Turkey still sees a reason to continue applying for membership.

Meanwhile foreign minister Babacan told the BBC that some EU countries were holding Turkey back out of political ill-will. And: “Uniting Turkey, a large mainly Muslim nation, with the European Union is Europe's biggest peace project since World War II.” Big words with confusing effects. Does that mean there is an open war if Turkey is not going to be accepted by the EU quickly? And the other way around: will Turkey’s entry into the EU mark the end of ongoing terrorist activities and military counter-terrorist operations? Will there be peace in Iraq?

If Turkey wants to be a member of the EU it should say so (and act accordingly) – in a straight and coherent statement. The inconsequence of a leave-us-alone-take-us-in attitude is eventually contra-productive and strains the nerves of everyone involved. Unfortunately the top representatives of this country put significant efforts into stepping onto each other’s feet, spreading disbelief, tying each other’s hands and giving sentiment priority over reason; not only since the AKP is facing a closure case.

Actually, this very chaos which has taken hold of Turkey because of some inner political emotional state is currently the biggest problem, not only but also on its way to Europe. A prosecutor and various influential citizens of this country feel threatened. Which is why they, without further ado, defied the voice of the Turkish people by trying to nullify the voters’ recent and very clear decision for an AKP government. This development owes a matter-of-fact explanation by Turkey’s top representatives – not only to EU Commission Chief José Manuel Barroso and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn who are expected to come to Ankara this Thursday (April 10).

Dorte HUNEKE

What we earn, and how

Dorte — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:33:00 +02:00

Not only, but also because the government currently debates the social security of workers in Turkey, it is worth looking at how people in this country actually make their living.

To me the situation seems like this:

On the one hand, there are those who carry home these amazing amounts of money every months that I am always completely stunned whenever my attention is pulled towards it: from what I hear some columnists earn $ 25.000. Mind you, we are talking about US Dollar. And we are talking about monthly wages! (A young Turkish reporter starts on average with 500 Lira a month, experienced reporters earn around 2000 Lira.) Among them are the owners of huge holdings along – about a handful in the country – with their usually top-positioned relatives within the family empires. Their earnings make about two thirds of all the generated money as those mega entrepreneurs usually not only own construction firms and chocolate factories. Along with that they have gas stations (to avoid subcontract supply), banks (the money needs to go somewhere) and newspapers (advertisement must go somewhere and you don’t want others to form people’s opinions). They pay more taxes every year than the average Turkish workers earns in a lifetime. Once a year these economic big shots are celebrated for the millions of lira they give to the state (top of this year’s list is Aydın Doğan with over 10 million lira taxes). Part of the upper income league are also doctors (unless they work for state hospitals). Also politicians and all those in their favour. Who else? University professors and lawyers certainly not.

Then there is a big nothing, or a thin lawyer of what is usually called upper middle-class. Many of those I spoke with earn something between 1000 and 2000 YTL a month, which currently equals about 500 to 1000 Euro. I have never stopped wondering how people manage to lead a decent life with this kind of money in a city like Istanbul where (unlike most people think) the costs of living are comparable with any other big European city, and definitely much cheaper than for example Berlin. A decent small apartment (well, windows is not too much to ask, is it?) almost anywhere in the city costs on average 700 YTL, in the nicer areas you quickly pay twice the amount. Gas and electricity are getting more and more expensive. Most people don’t even dare to think about higher rent apartments. Their dream of having their own apartment concludes when they receive their first salary.

Surprisingly many people don’t seem to make a drama out of this situation. Instead of buying their own flat they move in with their parents, their siblings, friends or spouses. Together things work out. And after all isn’t it nice to have breakfasts and dinners together?

A wonderful thing about the Turkish society is that friends and family immediately and without batting an eye pitch in and help if someone is hard-pressed for money (as long as the person in need is not a hopeless player or went into depth out of pure laziness). I have never seen a society which is more willing to help and to make sacrifices than this one here in Turkey when it comes to supporting someone in lack of money – maybe because he or she has a boss who pays salaries which is enough to render anyone sleepless, or because his or her own company went bankrupt. Few environments allow such a soft landing when the bank accounts suddenly show zero and worse – given that you have good friends or family. Some money will always come up, some money can always be borrowed, no matter what the balance of your friends’ own accounts is. Apparently even the parties of multi-family houses sometimes gather money (anonymously) for their broke neighbour, given that he or she had really given their best is now doing everything to get a new job. (Unlike in Germany, the entrepreneurial approach is always appreciated even if it failed.)

Unfortunately and regrettably, however, this willingness to help is often brazenly exploited by those who do not want to pay appropriate fees and salaries. As a reporter for a large Turkish newspaper you start – from what I was told – with about 500 to 800 YTL (please let someone prove me wrong!). While it is definitely adorable that friends and family step in when help is needed, it should not be forgotten that good work is worth good money, my dear bosses, the responsibility lies with you!

Highly irritating is also an attitude à la “You go ahead and start working and later I’ll tell you how much I think it’s worth.” This is not a made-up example. Of course we need to talk and negotiate about money – but, please, before starting the job. Also, the money that was agreed should actually be paid. From the top of my head I now at least half a dozen cases where people waited for weeks to receive their payments and eventually quit without any hope of ever going to see their money.

As a freelance journalist I have personally encountered further examples of brazenness: “We like your story ideas. Please go ahead and write something on that topic for us. Unfortunately, however, we cannot pay for freelance contributions.” Hello? That’s my job! How am I suppose to make a living? From what Turkish colleagues tell me this incident is not a single case in the Turkish media world – well, it also occurs in most other countries but at least if you write for large publications you will get at least some money. Small ambitious magazines, meaningful but profitless, are a different story). In my own case we eventually agreed on a ridiculous sum of money to be paid for my contributions. A beginning. Though I will only be able to afford this work – while money negotiations are continuing – as long as I have other jobs that allow me to sustain myself. When asked how other contributors to this magazine manage to survive, one editor told me: they either have other jobs or rich husbands (sometimes, rarely, the wives are the money makers).

So this goes out to you, my dear richly married ladies (and occasionally gents), those of you who may only want to see their names printed and who don’t seem to need the couple of hundred lira, not even for the sake of your pride. You ruin the prices with your journalistic hobby. And the quality.

Dorte HUNEKE

Thousands against Social Security Reform

Dorte — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:09:00 +02:00

On Monday (April 1), 5000 people in Istanbul alone followed a call by various labour unions to protest against the government’s draft law on fundamental changes in the Turkish health and pension system. Further protests have been announced for Saturday, April 6.

In Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, around 2000 people gathered. On the European side, an estimated number of 3000 people demonstrated in Çağlayan in front of the the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) building.

What’s it all about?

Turkey’s health and pension system is deep in debt. In order to guarantee the provision of social benefits to those in need, the Turkish government has to invest around YTL 30 billion this year. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: „We can no longer postpone the reform. The current social security system is no longer sustainable.” The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been demanding these cutbacks – which the Turkish government now passed to the parliament – for several years. The EU shows impatience. Meanwhile Turkish labour unions warn against overhasty decisions.

The biggest stumbling block to an agreement is the government’s plan to increase the retirement age from now 58 (for women) and 60 (for men) to 65 years. It is a fact, however, that Turkey has the lowest retirement age of all OECD member states. Furthermore, the Turkish population is getting older: Life expectancy for men is now 75, for women 76.

According to the government’s draft law everyone who is subject to social insurance contribution will receive health and pension insurance from the newly founded National Social Security Agency. Union representatives, however, expressed warnings and concerns that the new regulation will in fact put workers in a worse position. They might even lose the status – and thus their claims for retirement benefits – which they have earned for themselves earlier.

Remarkable is also that currently more than a third of all people over 65 in Turkey do not have any entitlement to a pension. Half of all employees in Turkey work without legal and social security in the informal sector.

An agreement could be reached in terms of reducing the number of days that a person has to work in order to be eligible for retirement benefits from 9000 (as the government initially suggested) to only 7200 days. It is currently at 7000.

The government’s reform package is supposed to be implemented in August 2008. Given that a decision has been reached (and given that there is still a working government … the Constitutional Court is currently discussing the Chief Prosecutors claim to ban the ruling party and the indictment of several party members).

What happened earlier…

In March, thousands of workers all across Turkey laid down their work for two hours: between 10 and 12 in the morning teachers, doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, bus drivers went on strike. Airplanes remained in waiting position. Even some news agencies joined the protest and halted their services for 15 minutes (and reported exclusively on the protest). It was the first mass strike in Turkey in decades.

Dorte HUNEKE

Cyprus : PACE ready to support negotiations

Ozi — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:15:00 +01:00

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lluis Maria de Puig, welcomed the announcement by the Cypriot President and the Turkish Cypriot leader to resume talks on the reunification of the island. The President commended the announced reopening of the Ledra Street crossing as highly symbolic. « Mutual trust and confidence are vital for the success of the renewed process to settle the conflict. This symbolic step can therefore play an important role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation. The Parliamentary Assembly will support all efforts aimed at turning the Buffer Zone in Cyprus from a symbol of division into a symbol of co-operation. PACE stands ready to support the negotiations under UN auspices, » the President said.

What can be said in Turkey

Dorte — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:43:00 +01:00

As a foreigner in Turkey, I am still sometimes confused about what people can or cannot say in this country. Sometimes I wish there was a manual that I could consult. Then at least I would know when and why exactly I am (or someone else is) being provocative or where the boundaries lie (which, of course, does not mean I would shut my mouth accordingly but I would be prepared for reactions).

It is not so long ago – and it’s stuck in many people’s minds – that Erdoğan said to an obviously unhappy farmer in an Anatolian village: “Take your mother and go”. It was during the last election campaign. Turkish voters apparently did not take it too seriously and gave their votes to the ruling AKP (which is currently facing the threat of closure but for very different reasons). So, apparently insulting a farmer is not a big deal. However, it is a big deal if Erdoğan’s remarks are repeated on stage – as happened recently in Trabzon during a play titled “Düğün yada Davul” (Wedding or Drums). The artists also picked up politically loaded phrases like “The prime minister is scared of the United States“ and “This is not a place to sit and relax” which – according to Turkish newspaper reports – triggered an investigation into the play. Maybe government representatives do not have much time to attend theatre plays which is why they should take at least time to listen to professionals in this art – like Nermin Karademir, Culture and Arts Union Trabzon representative: “Theatre is not a place where senior officials are praised night and day. We ask the media and the public to stand up for theatres.“ (Meanwhile it is a relief to read that Elif Şafak, the author of the bestselling novel “The Bastard of Istanbul” who was accused of insulting Turkishness in her novel, is among the 20 writers long-listed for Britain’s prestigious Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.)

What Karademir said about the arts also holds true for the media: They neither should be a place where senior officials are praised night and day. Part of our journalist profession – as well as that of the artists’ – is to be critical of what people say and do, and convey their view to the public. However, there is a difference between being critical and simply enjoying the act of blaming another party – a game which is admittedly more entertaining than factual reporting but, if we look at it with a sober mind, also clear evidence of incapacity, in politics as well as in journalism.

My experience of the past weeks (and I openly criticise the Turkish media for having taken their share in it) has led me to believe that it is not considered inappropriate or insulting to approach someone you don’t know with the words: “Oh, you are from Germany?! The Germans recently burnt Turkish people’s houses, didn't they? It was ten so far, wasn’t it?”

At least so much can be said: I don’t mind telling people that I strongly condemn any act of arson – against people of any nationality – and so do most of my fellow country people, Germans and Turks. Sadly enough, we also have some brainless souls in our midst who believe that people should be judged by their race (I would not mind expelling these poor souls but I am afraid that would not solve the problem, who would want to have them anyway?). I do not have anything against Turks (or Alevis), the fact that I live in Turkey speaks for itself. But I have something against racist views – and I do not care whether the person who utters or triggers them is Turkish or German or whatever else.

I am unhappy about having to defend myself for being German (I am not accusing Turks in general for very unpleasant incidents that happened in this country, I am, however, blaming those who are responsible for or who are in the slightest sense supportive of them).

It’s not the fault of a little educated music shop owner in Van or of a jewelery seller in Ortaköy if they share with me their concern about “a series of attacks against Turks” committed by Germans. It is the fault of journalists who make Turkish readers believe that Germans do not like Turks and the “German government is following a conscious 'fascist' policy against Turks”* (while the German government is holding an integration summit together with members of the Turkish community). These harsh and generalizing, partly even unsustainable accusations do nothing to improve relations between Germany and Turkey but adds fuel to the fire sparked by those simple minds who unfortunately make profitable headlines.

The quote was taken from Yiğit Bulut's piece titled "Turks are being burned in Germany, While Turkey is 'Sleeping'" published in Referans newspaper. The English translation was published on the Turkish Weekly website under http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=53516

Dorte HUNEKE

Democracy, Cola Dilemma in Turkey

Ozi — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:10:00 +01:00

Sadly and finally another controversial lawsuit filled in Turkey, Turkish Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, filed a lawsuit against the goverment party, Justice and Development Party (AKP) demanding its closure. On the other hand a lawsuit demanding closure of Democratical Society Party (DTP) is stil going on. Probably status quo demanding the closure of AKP will be eager about closure of DTP. Prosecuters are accusing AKP with being center of anti secular movements and DTP being separatist. What an easy thing to demand closure 2 in 4 parties of Turkish parliament (TBMM), so be it, lock the door of the AKP and close the DTP, eventually why don’t you close TBMM? I can hear your murmurs, “Noooo Ozcan, you are exaggerating”, but I assure you, these closures won’t be considered as exaggeration step by lots of arragont elites in Turkey.

Coup d’etat which was occured in 12 September 1980 created it's arrogant elites. Also I would like to assure you the anti- democratic elites are supporting baning entrance of mosques, churches and synagogues for people who are not 100 percent complied with constitutional proto-type of Turkish citizenship. Army’s coup d”etat launched a new constitution which was prepared with copy paste manner in 5 days, eleminated democratical politicans, institutions, prisoned democracy defenders and created it’s own haven and filled whole official cadres with people agreed to work within the ultra-nationalist goverment, within a secular and undemocratical framework. As result of this constitution Kurdish problem deepened and religion issues became more complicated matters of Turkey. Coup d'etate goverment harshly punished democratical insurgency emerged in 1980’s and awarded elites who were created after 12 september.

Today, Turkey is in new era, this is the modernisation era and democracy has never been desired so much by the society. However anti democratical elite circles, the lovely children of the coup d’etat are very concerned about this desire, because they will lose their initiative positions. Elites always frightened, divided Turkish society to nationalist and religion groups and confused them against eachother to enjoy their priviliged situations and delayed democratical reforms but the 22 July 2007 election evidently showed us Turkish people do not count on liars anymore.

These elite groups introducing themself as followers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as a irony they coherently believe they are, but when it comes to “Republican” rule of Atatürk they behave different, for example they didn't respect result of elections and lots of times they supported closure of political parties. “Peasant is the sir of the nation”, said Mustafa Kemal during a visit to a town in 1920’s, but from the point view of the elites, villager is the real banal servants of the elites. Also according to them, there is a constitutional citizenship streo type; Constitutional Turkish citizen should be 100 percent Turkish nationalist, be sunni muslim but not religous, be secular and social alcohol drinker and be soldier from the birth. Arrogant Turkish elites are accustomed to enjoy their special status while eating cheap meals and drinking cheap beer or cola at state facilities.

Our lovely elites are the dauntless defenders of status quo, they are accustomed to ask help from armed groups when they face a danger against their special benefits. Last year they worried to lose their initiatives during presidential elections, first of all they tried to effect Turkish Army to interfer but couldn’t be successful, hopelessly they pushed the button to defend their advantages, they effected the society with ordinary lies against goverment party AKP. Protests held in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmır and Manisa but this tactic didn’t work, they inspired from crowdy protest meetings and wanted early elections. Finally they lost elections and got a strong slap from the nation, AKP won the 47 percent of the votes.

They lost elections, other struggles and now, they are trying their last choices to block democratical future of Turkey, but we should ask them whether a cheap beer will worth destabilisation of Turkey or not?

Özcan TİKİT

Women’s Day in Eastern Turkey overtaken by political conflict

Dorte — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:46:00 +01:00

Dorte Huneke , Cafebabel Istanbul

International Women’s Day in Van, in the most eastern East of Turkey, was not held in Chinese (see earlier text on Diyarbakir). However, those who had come to hear and talk about women’s issues ended up speechless. The March 8 meetings were less about women than about current political conflicts – which until today men have a greater say in. The DTP (Democratic Society Party) had organised a meeting in the centre of the city. Women and girls, colourfully dressed in their traditional costumes, gathered in front of a stage holding up signs that said “Enough!” in Turkish (“Artik yeter“) and “Women, Life, Freedom” in Kurdish (“Jin Jiyan Azadi“). Enough of what though? Women in the eastern parts of Turkey have loads of reasons to take to the streets and demonstrate for their rights, their freedom and the sake of their life. Honour killings occur frequently (about five a year), women enter marriages unasked, they are given away in exchange for money or another family member. A high number of husbands lock their wives into the house, they beat and abuse women and girls and keep them away from schools. Unfortunately, however, these issues were hardly touched upon on March 8 during the public gatherings. The local women’s organisation VAKAD (Van Kadin Dernegi, which has been doing remarkable work since 2004 in Van by offering protection and support to women, cancelled their events and concentrated on their actual work: over the course of the next 14 days a VAKAD bus will go to various neighbourhoods and villages. A group of volunteers will hand out information leaflets and talk to local women about their problems, hopes and fears. It does not matter where on earth a women lives; what matters is that women are exposed to violence: sadly enough, this mental weakness (violence) occurs all over the world. The only difference is that different cultures have found different ways of explaining or even legitimising this ugly and cowardly habit. This is what the International Women’s Day is about: Women’s rights, women’s safety and freedom. Political conflicts are a different topic.

ESN Turkey Elected New Leadership

Ozi — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:57:00 +01:00

Cafebabel Istanbul

ERASMUS Turkey elected new leadership and administration during a meeting held at Istanbul Bilgi University last weekend. Bilgi University ESN Representative Uğur Bakici held the opening speech of the meeting. Throughout 2 days meeting, ESN Network projects, Erasmus issues and suggestions from participants comprehensively discussed. 13 Erasmus Networks from different universities and regions of Turkey participated in meeting and voted for new ESN administration. Furthermore, Işık and Adnan Menderes Universities membership applications approved during the ESN Turkey National Platform Meeting. Cafebabel.com Istanbul team congrulates new ESN administration team of ESN Turkey. Here is the new Administration list of ESN Turkey;

NEW ADMINISTRATION

President: Melike Akan (Yıldız Technical University).

Vice President: Bengul Öztemiz (Ege-Aegean University)

National Representative: Server Ağırman (Yildiz Technical University)

National Representative Aid: Emine Mete (Bahcesehir University);

Secretary: Hande Ayata (Bahçeşehir University)

Accountant: Erdeniz Unvan (Anadolu University);

Public Relations Officer: Ece Öksüm (Istanbul Technical University)

Kurds Celebrate Women's Day With Chinese Posters

Ozi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:58:00 +01:00

Cafebabel Istanbul

The city of Diyarbakir, in the Southeast of Turkey and with a mostly Kurdish population, celebrates International Women's Day in a different and interesting style. Kurdish district Yenisehir Municipality prepared posters in Chinese for 8 March International Women's Day. Chinese posters celebrating Diyarbakiri Women Day displayed at billboards in town center. Yenisehir Municipality officers were interrogated lots of times and accused of being separatist in the reason of adapting Kurdish language in official documents and petitions. Whereas Diyarbakir has no Chinese population we wanted to protest ban on Kurdish language by celebrating Women Day with posters written in Chinese, Diyarbakir is a metropolitan city and we wanted show that language is not so important, but the most important thing is the given message, said Mayor Aid Sefik Dincer from the Democratic Society Party. Also Turkish and Kurdish translations of the Chinese sentences are visible on the distributed posters.

Call for Conference: EU-Turkey: The Strategies Of Intercommunication

Ozi — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:28:00 +01:00

European Turkish Youth discusses Turkey and Europe relations. With intiaitive of Forum Istanbul Youth Platform a conference organised to bring together and launch beneficial disussions toward EU Membership. Throughout conference, university students and young people from different groups and non govermental organizations will have an unique opportunity to exchange ideas about Turkey's EU Accession. Forum Istanbul Youth Platform is carrying on the succession of conferences called "Towards 2023" with the new panel whose topic is "EU-Turkey: The Strategies of Intercommunication". In this panel whose speakers are Dr. Bahadir Kaleagasi- the Brussel delegate of the Turkish Bussinesmen Assocation (TUSIAD), Vural Oger-the deputy of European Parliament, Kader Sevinc-the advisor of the deputies of the European Parliament, young people are going to closely involved with the discussions. It is highly necessary to fill the form of application and read in details for the ones who claims to make their presentations in the panel; whereas it's satisfactory for other participators to fill the forms in our web site.www.hedef2023.org|http://www.hedef2023.org/toplanti.asp|tr]

Secretary General

Cansu Ekmekçioğlu

Date: March 15, 2008

Address: Bahcesehir University, Fazil Say Conference Hall, İstanbul

Engin Arik Fund Will Keep Turkish Professor's Spirit Alive

Ozi — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:26:00 +01:00

Özcan TİKİT

At the initiative of the ATLAS Women’s Network and with the active support of John Ellis, coordinator of the Summer Student Program for non-member states, Peter Jenni and Konstantin Zioutas, spokespersons of the ATLAS and CAST collaborations, respectively, a new fund has been created in the memory of Professor Engin Arik, who perished in a plane accident last November along with five other ATLAS and CAST members. The goal of the fund to keep Engin’s spirit alive by continuing to bring to CERN young, talented Turkish physicists as she had pioneered. Every year, the Engin Arik Fund will award a fellowship based on academic merit to the most promising Turkish student among the applicants to the CERN Summer Student Program for non-member states. This fellowship will be offered to the most deserving Turkish applicant as determined by the regular selection committee, preferably to work on the ATLAS or CAST experiments. This will enable one extra Turkish student each year to participate in the Summer Student Program, thanks to the additional funding from the Engin Arik Fund. The fellowship will be awarded yearly as long as the Fund continues to have the necessary resources.

Metin Arik, Engin’s husband, has pledged his family’s support to the Fund, and says: “This fellowship should be regarded as a prestigious award and all recipients should feel proud to have been given this award”. His wish is to use this Fellowship both to honor Engin’s memory and to perpetuate her work here at CERN by providing unique opportunities to promising students. Some institutions have already pledged money to the Fund. The University of Patras, home institute of Konstantin Zioutas, has committed 3000 Euros for the first two years, the ATLAS collaboration will contribute 5500 CHF in each of the next three years, and CERN will also contribute. Other institutes have also been contacted. If your institute wishes to donate some money to the Fund, it is possible to transfer funds to Team Account T273875 using a standard CERN TID form. Individuals can also give money to the Fund. A bank account has been opened by John Ellis and Pauline Gagnon at the UBS bank at CERN. The account’s IBAN number is CH8800279279289067M1J and its BIC (or SWIFT in the USA) code is UBSWCHZH80A. Anybody from anywhere in the world can transfer money to this account in any currency. All the money collected will go toward the fellowship.