Ankara's Altınpark hosted an important cultural festival as part of the 9th International Turkish Language Olympiads this weekend. It was a unique opportunity to see a diversity of cultures represented by children and teenagers from around the world, and Ankara residents did not miss the chance to participate in a festival where 130 countries came together in their city. From toddlers to elders, Altınpark was filled with enthusiastic visitors who had come to witness a celebration of cultures and the Turkish language.
For many Turks their reference point for foreign cultures is often foreign footballers who wear the jerseys of Turkish teams. In fact, at the festival, one group of festivalgoers walked by the Colombian booth reciting the names of all the footballers they knew from Colombia. Three booths away, a former Beşiktaş footballer, Osvaldo Nartallo, was among an Argentine group of festival participants. When visitors heard that the former Beşiktaş footballer was there, they rushed to the Argentina booth with their cameras.
Nartallo played for Beşiktaş during the 1993-1994 season, when he became the second player to score the highest number of goals along with Oktay Derelioğlu. Nartallo has friends from a Buenos Aires-based Turkish foundation and is taking part in the Olympiads with them. "The Olympiads are beautiful. There are so many cultures [represented] here; 130 countries are here speaking Turkish," he told Today's Zaman. Nartallo believes that Turkey resembles Argentina and İstanbul is a lot like Buenos Aires. "Turks are warm people like Argentineans," he said. The Argentinean, who now coaches a team in his home town, said he is continuing to learn Turkish and said he would like to return to Turkey for football.
Nartallo was in Ankara with his son, Brian. Brian travels 400 kilometers twice a month just to be able to attend a Turkish language course in Buenos Aires. He was born in Ankara and has now come back to Turkey for the first time as a teenager. Brian likes to sing "Cerrahpaşa" by famous Turkish musician Volkan Konak. Father and son both support Nartallo's former club, Beşiktaş.
Dracula at the Olympiads
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| Two Romanian participants of the 9th International Turkish Language Olympiads |
At the festival, the Italian booth was manned by Turkology students from a Venetian university. Giulia, Matilde and Marco say Turkish is hard but they love it. The students said they believe Italians and Turks have similarities as both nations are so outgoing and hospitable.
Spain was also represented by several students at the cultural festival. Seven students from Damaso Alonso, a public school in Spain, have been learning Turkish for the last five months. Two Marias, Pablo, Raul and Nayib say Turkish is hard but that they are progressing "adım adım" (step by step). They saw an announcement at school about the opening of Turkish classes and decided to go for it. The Spaniards see Turkish as a means to open up to the world.
We also met Matias Contreras and Ivan Miranda, Chilean students who participate in Turkish classes. They attend a public school that was opened three years after the Chilean state was established in 1810. The Chileans say the Turkish culture is very rich and they are fans of Galatasaray -- although it appears their teacher, who is a Galatasaray aficionado, may have had something to do with this. Matias said he also loves the Turkish rock band maNga. They say İstanbul reminds them of the Chilean capital of Santiago.
Fifteen-year-old Leen Saleem Ibrahim came all the way from the Maldives to participate in the Turkish Olympiads. She has been learning Turkish for one year. It was her idea to attend Turkish school, the Lale Gençlik Uluslararası Okulu, to learn the language. "I enjoy meeting other people," she said about the event.
In the neighboring booth, a joyful reunion was taking place among some Indonesians. A group of teenage Indonesian girls who became friends at a Turkish course in their country started to scream and hug each other and cheered for their teacher at the booth. Terosha Reynanda Nadella and Syarifa Rofiany Arief demonstrated their traditional musical instruments, an angklung and a gong, for visitors.
Ankara bid farewell to the celebration of the world's music, dances, languages and cultures with an awards ceremony concluding the Ankara leg of the Turkish Olympiads temporarily until next Saturday, when succesful students will be awarded in a ceremony.
Published on Today's Zaman, 19 June 2011, Sunday
