Altun: "Cultural Deprivation of Society Equals Its Destruction"

Communication Director Fahrettin Altun spoke at the launch of the book "Cultural Mobilization of Turkey in the 21st Century" and the opening program of the exhibition "No Escape." Key points from Altun's speech include:

"We believe that, in the global context, Turkey needs to initiate a cultural mobilization against the cultural siege attempts we face. We continue our efforts in this direction. We think that our nation, our country, and Turkey are engaged in a tough struggle and that there is a need for mobilization in this battle, especially in the field of culture. In this context, our 'No Escape' exhibition, along with the initiatives that led to it, is one of the current examples of this struggle. I sincerely believe that this exhibition will not only contribute to preventing the destruction and smuggling of our cultural assets but will also raise societal awareness regarding the damages caused by illegal excavations. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is making significant efforts to bring back many historical artifacts that were taken abroad illegally to their rightful places, that is, here. Since 2002, the return of over 12,000 artifacts to Turkey has been achieved. Nearly 8,000 of these returns, or two-thirds, occurred in the last six years. Societies like ours have faced the threat of cultural eradication under the guise of Westernization for years. In fact, these initiatives are attempts to destroy society. To eradicate culture is synonymous with destroying that society. The struggle against cultural eradication attempts is a noble fight. It is an honorable, dignified struggle. The fight we give and will give together as a nation in the name of our culture is a struggle for our future and independence. This struggle is the guarantee of our future and independence. On the other hand, this cultural hegemony system contributes to the reproduction of ethnocentrism, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia in different parts of the world. This society, this nation, has suffered greatly from top-down imposition attempts and artificial cultural modernization projects, especially in modern times. We do not need another similar experience."