Closing ceremony of Culture Festival marked with joy in Germany
The closing ceremony of the 12th Language and Culture Festival, which was held in the German city of Düsseldorf on Saturday, was marked with joy by 15,000 people, mostly Turks from Europe and Turkey.
Previously known as the “Turkish Olympiads” and held in Turkey, this year's organization changed both the name and location due to obstruction by the Turkish government at home. Since the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, used all possible means of the state to obstruct the internationally respected traditional event organized by the Hizmet movement -- inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen -- the organizers decided to expand the event abroad to avoid visa problems for the participating children from around the world.
After festivals organized in Ethiopia and Romania, the final ceremony of the event that adopted the name “Language and Culture Festival” was held in Germany, with the participation of 250 students from 145 countries. The packed ISS Dome in Düsseldorf hosted Turks who flocked to the event not only from different parts of Germany and Europe, but also from Turkey, and who felt a mixture of feelings, mostly joy and pride.
Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the project that brings together students in Turkish schools around the world, sent a written message to the event that received a standing ovation. In his message Gülen referred to a Japanese proverb that states that no journey is too long as long as you have good company, in an effort to emphasize that the road to love and peace in the world is not as long as people think. He went on to say that language is the mirror that reflects what is in the heart and underlined universal human values such as love, peace and tolerance. Referring to the value of the rule of law, human rights and freedoms in Germany, Gülen thanked the people and officials of Germany who had made the organization of the festival possible in the country. Describing the students of Turkish schools around the world as the children of schools of love, Gülen encouraged them to continue their endeavors without stopping.
An award was presented at the event to a German lawyer and politician of Kurdish descent from Turkey, Seyran Ateş from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Ateş said that some people wonder how her name and that of Fethullah Gülen came together. However, she added that she was present at the festival to bow before the children who did a remarkable job, even though she does not usually bow for anyone. She said that it is the responsibility of adults to raise children to succeed in creating peaceful, global coexistence and thanked all those who educated the children of the world in accordance with such a goal. Volker Münchow, a German politician who presented the award to Ateş, expressed pleasure at attending an event that had brought so many cultures to Germany.
The three-hour closing ceremony, which saw performances by children in singing, dancing and poetry recitals, was broadcast live by the Samanyolu, Bugün, Mehtap and Irmak television stations in Turkey.
Ali Ursavaş, president of the Turkish Language Association (Türkçe Der), which organizes the festival, said in his opening remarks that the aim of the event is to contribute to the mosaic of cultures. He expressed disappointment that the event was not able to take place in Turkey, while he thanked Germany, a country that opened its doors to Turkey half a century ago, for hosting the festival.
During the event, a get-well-soon message was sent to the former foreign minister of Germany, Guido Westerwelle, who is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia.
The anchorman of Samanyolu TV, Kemal Gülen, made announcements in Turkish, while two young girls assisted him by translating the messages into German.
Children from countries such as Indonesia, Albania, Azerbaijan and Algeria succeeded in dazzling the audience with their performances, which were mostly in Turkish. A teenage girl from Algeria, Dalia Chih, especially attracted attention with the strength of her voice while singing a song from the late Turkish folk singer Müslüm Gürses. In addition to Turkish, students from Moldova and France sang songs in Russian and French, respectively. The students ended the ceremony by singing the signature song of the festival, “A New World,” together with the audience.
The hashtag of the event, #colorsoftheworld, became a trending topic on Twitter.
Unlike other years, no Turkish diplomats participated in any of the festivals organized abroad as part of the event, due to instructions from the government.
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