Dawn Watch, record underwater mission and spectacular air show all part of TRNC's 41st Peace & Freedom Day

The Turkish Stars wow audiences with their aerobatics display in Girne on Sunday

NEWS / TRNC
 
North Cyprus’ commemorations of Turkey’s vital 1974 intervention got underway with its annual Dawn Watch (Şafak Nöbeti). Thousands of people of all ages turned up at Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı in Girne – the beach where Turkish troops first landed in the early hours of 20 July 1974 – to remember the bravery of those troops who sacrificed their lives to bring peace to Cyprus.

As in previous years, the event started with a roadside concert to celebrate Peace and Freedom Day, with Turkish singer Zerrin Özer headlining. At 00.30, the public, many carrying torches and TRNC and Turkish flags, made their way down to the beach to wait for dawn. During the early hours of the morning, dervishes performed the spiritual sema dance accompanied by ney. At first light the ezan (Muslim call to prayer) started, with the imams then leading the public in a mass prayer remembering those who had fallen or were injured in the 1974 War.



Thousands of people waiting for dawn at last night's moving Şafak Nöbeti. Photo: DHA

 ‘Aquarium Man’ Cem Karabey plays tavla underwater in Girne as he aims to break world record

While thousands gathered on land, located in the sea just off Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı was Cem Karabay. Known as Aquarium Man for his record-breaking underwater feats, Karabay had entered the sea at 08.50 on Friday 17 July aiming to remain there until Monday 20 July. Should he succeed with his 72-hour mission, he will smash Egyptian diver Walaa Hafez’s current world record of 51 hours and 24 minutes non-stop under water.  

Televised live, Karabey has been seen passing the time with a variety of activities including playing tavla (backgammon) against Turkey’s former sports minister Kürşad Tüzmen. The two communicated via hand gestures, including sharing a joke when Tüzmen claimed Karabey was hiding dice. Karabey’s world record attempt is being sponsored by Merit Hotels, the Dizayn Group, Kibris Turkcell and the TRNC Government.

Cem Karabay takes on Kürşad Tüzmen in game of underwater tavla. Photo: DHA

The special feat follows last year’s marathon swim from Mersin to Girne by businessman Vakkas Altınbaş, chairman of Altınbaş Holding – one of Cyprus’ largest corporations. The 55-year-old had set off from Anamur in Mersin, Turkey, on 18 July 2014, completing the 86km (53.4 miles) swim to reach Cyprus’ northern shores on Peace and Freedom Day.

 

Turkish President Erdoğan jetting in for TRNC Peace & Freedom Day

The Turkish military again play a major part in the Peace and Freedom Day festivities. Between 10am and 6pm today, the public will be able to board and tour three battleships from the Turkish Naval Forces. The TCG Gökçeada Frigate has dropped anchor off the coast of Girne, the TCG İnönü Submarine is in Girne Tourism Harbour, while the TCG Bora Assault Boat is docked in Gazimağusa Harbour.

Military bands will entertain the public with two concerts. The first starts at 4.30pm, with the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces Band performing in front of the Atatürk Monument in Girne. They are followed by the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces Band, which will give a concert on Dereboyu, Lefkoşa, at 7.30pm this evening.

Last night, the Turkish Stars – the Turkish Air Force’s aerobatic display team – wowed audiences with a spectacular show over Girne.

Later today, the land forces will be on show during the annual main parade down the main Dr Fazıl Küçük Boulevard in Lefkoşa. The event starts at 4pm at the Atatürk Monument. Flags will be raised, the Turkish national anthem sung and a minute’s silence held, while flags from Yavuz Çıkarma Plajı will be presented to TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı. Following the commemoration ceremony the parade will commence at 5pm.

Leading this year’s international dignitaries present for the Peace and Freedom Day Parade is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is flying in to the TRNC for the occasion. He is expected to hold talks with the TRNC President on the latest developments in the Cyprus Negotiations while he is here.   

 

RELATED STORIES

 

Turkish businessman completes marathon swim, shows the world how close Turkey and Cyprus are, 26 July 2014

 

Record numbers expected at tonight’s Şafak Nöbeti in North Cyprus, 19 July 2014

 

 

 

 

Sweet, fun things in London this Bayram

Baklava - a treat during the 3-day Bayram celebrations

CULTURE / MUSIC + FOOD

Today marks the end of the annual 30-day fast, which is celebrated with a 3-day public holiday in Turkey, North Cyprus and across the rest of the Muslim world. Those here in London can join in the festivities too.

 

Traditionally known as Şeker Bayramı (Sweet Eid), the festival is a time to thank God for having the spiritual and physical strength to carry out the month-long fast, which in the summer months is particularly tough as you cannot drink or eat during the long, hot hours of sunrise to sunset. Once Ramazan is over, people eat sweet pastries and confectionery, which they usually refrain from during fasting.

 

The first day of Bayram starts with a special prayer at the mosque early in the morning. It’s also customary for Turks to remember those who have passed away by visiting the graves of their loved ones. During the day, families and friends will visit each other, and be treated to sweet things. In the evening, loved ones gather to celebrate over a large dinner, while others will go out and have fun.

Sweet Turkish pastries in London

Many people like to bake their own sweet pastries, such as kurabiye or kadeyif. For those pushed for time in the capital, it’s just as each to buy them at their local Turkish patisserie or supermarket. Among the best are Antepliler on Green Lanes, which has a wide range of freshly-baked baklava. Or Yaşar Hallim (Harringay & Palmers Green) whose onsite bakery delivers daily a wide range of pastries, including bastiç and şambalı. Or you can order bespoke Bayram cakes from Partycake in Tottenham – master baker Özgür Aydın is  renowned for his fancy creations.

 

Those south of the river can find a great selection in the patisserie counter in any TFC Supermarket, while Mr Kofte in Peckham makes sweet pastries such as sütlü börek to order and delivers to your door (some orders require minimum 24 hours’ notice & a minimum spend).

 

Bayram parties

Many of London’s top Turkish nightspots also put on special programmes over Bayram and advance booking is highly recommended.

 

Cyprus Meze Bar in Leyton, East London, leads tonight with a special concert by Turkish Classic Music singer, songwriter and composer Suat Sancar (pictured). The award-winning artist’s career has seen him collaborate with famous Jazz and ethno-classical musicians, as well as pen songs for the likes of Zeki Müren (Elveda). In 2011, he released his debut album Gönülden Üsküdar (Emotions of Uskudar) to critical acclaim. His set tonight will be a mixture of original and cover songs, supported by the venue’s house band and resident singer Popçu Ali. Entry with fixed menu meal all for £25.

 

On Saturday night, Cyprus Meze Bar reverts to its usual Saturday night programme with Babutsa’s Soner and showman Kadir Ateş leading the fun.

 

Over in Chingford, Cyprus Garden also has two Bayram specials. Friday night entertainment comes courtesy of Peri Aziz and Doğan Akın İmparator. Fixed menu dinner and show price is just £20. The special Bayram £20 rate continues for Saturday 18^th July with the venue promising a packed line-up, which will include surprise guests alongside their usual house band and singers.

Turkish wines masterclass in London



CULTURE / FOOD & DRINK

By John Oakes

Archaeology tells us that the Turks have probably been making wine longer than almost anyone else, up in the northeast corner near the Black Sea. So why is it that so little Turkish wine has found its way to Great Britain, the largest and most sophisticated wine-importer in the world?

Why not blame the Romans? Everyone else seems to! After all, it was they who established wine-making in France, leaving its later British rulers to acquire a taste for French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, instead of more distant varieties…

But there's a gastronomic bonus for today's drinkers: the adventure of discovering delicious new Turkish strains of grape, like Narince and Kalecik Karası, for ourselves. And how better to do this than at a Vinopolis Masterclass?  

On 23^rd July, the Turkish Wine Alliance, formed by a select few of Turkey's 200+ wine producers, will present a Turkish Wines Masterclass at London’s Vinopolis, in Borough Market, under the tutelage of Master of Wine Sarah Abbott, who has been working with the Turkish wine sector for many years.

She will be leading us through a total of ten wines, 4 white and 6 red, some from French grape varieties with a Turkish accent, but predominantly coming from Turkish strains which are new to British palates. Among them will be some well-known Turkish wine brands, as well as exciting new boutique wine producers.

Master of Wine Sarah Abbott will be running the Turkish wine masterclass

With the association’s current marketing push, don't be surprised to see some of these wines appearing on restaurant menus and the lists of the better wine merchants nicely in time for Christmas.

Sarah told T-VINE: “I love wine for its diversity, and the joy of new discoveries. The new generation of Turkish wines are vibrant and delicious, and I hope your readers can join us to enjoy their taste and story. Some of the winemakers will be joining us afterwards for an informal reception, so it should be a great evening."

Places on the Turkish Wines Masterclass are limited so advance booking is essential. Along with the wine tasting, there will be well-matched Turkish cheeses and olives to complete the adventure. If you have any queries, email Melisa Atay at atay@melisafinebrands.co.uk. You can also follow Turkish Wine Alliance on Facebook and Twitter (@turkishwineuk).

Date: Thursday 23^rd July

Start time/duration: 7pm / 1.5 hours

Address: London’s Vinopolis, Borough Market, No.1 Bank End, London SE1 9BU

Price per person: £49

Tickets: vinopolis.co.uk/Turkish-Wines-Masterclass

 

Summer in the city with Arcola Ala-Turka Yaz!

CULTURE / THEATRE

Best known for their annual Turkish drama season in January, Arcola Theatre’s Ala-Turka group are adding a summer session this year. Starting on Tuesday, there’s a week’s worth of Turkish theatre, music and culture, from staged readings of new plays and classics of the Turkish Stage, to theatre workshops, bellydancing and a closing party.

Among the highlights are readings from TENEKE by Yasar Kemal and BENERCI by Nazim Hikmet, along with excerpts from three other literary giants of Turkey in the Classic Literature night on 14 July. Before each reading, the audience will be told a little about each author and their play or novel’s synopsis.

The following day will feature a series of new plays from the group, including CROYDON by Ece Ozdemiroglu about the little lies we tell people when we translate from English to Turkish and back. Also TRAVEL by Serpil Delice that plays out scenes from a travel agency, and monologues from FIRST COMERS (ILK GELENLER) about the things Turkish immigrants brought to the UK when they first arrived, which they cannot bring themselves to throw away. This session includes a Q&A with the audience, who can recount their own related stories.

The full Ala-Turka Yaz programme:

Tuesday 14th July        8pm: Classics of Turkish Literature. Join Ala-Turka as they present readings from classic plays by Nazim Hikmet, Yasar Kemal and more….

Wednesday 15th July   8pm: Ala-Turka Scratch Night. The company present scratch performances of new short plays. Prepare yourself to explore life, love, identity, truth and lies in two languages.

Thursday 16th July       8pm: Selected Highlights from Classics of Turkish Literature and new short plays by Ala-Turka members.

Friday 17th July           8pm: Underbelly: The Evolution of Belly Dancing and PAKAW!

Saturday 18th July       Day (various times): Children’s Play, Physical Theatre, Writing and Body Percussion. Plus an exciting workshop line up including: The Play Lab Company, Celal Orhan, Ece Ozdemiroglu and The School of Laughter.

8pm: Underbelly: The Evolution of Belly Dancing and the Ala-Turka Yaz! Closing Party with Tuğba Özcivan.
 

Feel the summer vibes with Pakaw! on Friday night

The bulk of the programme is in Turkish, but there are some bi-lingual and English-language events too. Check online for full details. Event running times and prices vary, and seating for events taking place in Studio 2 is unallocated.

Arcola’s Nick Connaughton said: “Arcola Theatre is proud to continue to support the development of our Ala-Turka theatre company. Ala-Turka Yaz! is an important development as the group curate and produce a week-long celebration of culture, theatre, history and music, combining the old with the new – a perfect way to bring in the summer holidays.”

The multi award-winning Arcola Theatre was founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen and Executive Producer Leyla Nazli. Housed in a converted paint factory in Hackney, the popular theatre is one of the most respected arts venues in the UK, renowned for its artistic excellence and innovative programming.

Ala-Turka is the Arcola Turkish & Kurdish Theatre Group, which was born in 2001 when Mehmet Ergen led a series of workshops for young Turkish speakers aged 19-25, which developed into the first production, A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, which played in Turkish for one week. Since this time, Ala-Turka have continued to present classic texts and new theatre in Turkish with English surtitles.

Event Details

Event: Ala-Turka Yaz!

Start/end dates: Tue 14 - Sat 18 July

Address: Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL

Info & tickets:   arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/alaturkayaz  /  Box Office:  020 7503 1646 

Turkish super brand sets out to discover southeast London with its novel competition ‘Hello Enza Home, Hello Lewisham’

Win an orthoapedic mattress from Yataş' Enza Home UK by telling them what you love best about Lewisham Borough 

NEWS / UK

One of Turkey’s Super Brands is offering local residents the chance to win quality home furniture at this Saturday’s Lewisham People’s Day. Enza Home, part of the Yataş Group, opened its first UK store in Catford 18-months ago and is looking to further establish itself in the local community with a free prize draw where residents name their favourite part of the borough for a chance to win a stylish designer furniture from the store.



Aysel Koksal, Enza Home
Catford's store manager

Store manager Aysel Koksal explains: “Our colleagues in Turkey are always asking what Lewisham is like as most people and businesses from Turkey are located in North London. So we thought ‘let’s ask local people to tell us’. We will then compile a list about the best features of the borough and share with people in Turkey. We’ve called it ‘Hello Enza Home, Hello Lewisham’ and everyone who takes part will be entered into a prize draw to win free furniture from our store.”

Yataş - one of Turkey's Super Brands - now in the UK

Yataş is one of Turkey’s biggest corporations best known for its quality bedding business and customer services, voted the country’s top Super Brand in 2010 and again in 2012. Since establishing Turkey’s first foam factory in 1976, the innovative company has quickly grown to also produce mattresses, home textiles, sofa beds and other stylish home furniture, which are now sold in 48 countries under the brand names Yataş Bedding and Enza Home. Together with London-based Acil Group, they opened the UK’s first Enza Home store in Catford, south London, in December 2013.

How to win designer furniture from Enza Home UK

Enza Home UK will be running two competitions at the Lewisham People’s Day festival on Saturday 11 July. To enter ‘Hello Enza Home, Hello Lewisham’, residents can either upload their own 30-second clip to Enza Home UK’s Facebook page, or they can be filmed by staff at the Enza Home marquee. They simply need to say: “Hello Enza Home, my name is …… My favourite place in Lewisham is ….. because….”

A second prize draw is open to those who add their name and contact details to the Enza Home UK mailing list. To enter, festival goers should visit Enza Home’s green marquee, which will be located in the Yellow Area at Mountsfield Park.

The winner of each prize draw will be able to pick either a Multi Pocket double or single Yataş Bedding orthopaedic mattress worth up to £379, or the multi-functional Born Coffee Table, whose clever design incorporates two nested tables and two footstools.

Enza Home's Born coffee table - one of the prizes on offer

Both prize draws are free to enter and will close at 7pm on the day of the festival. Winners will be announced on Enza Home’s UK Facebook page & website within 72 hours of the festival ending, and free delivery to a London address will be arranged as soon as the chosen prize is in stock. See Enza Home UK’s Facebook page for full competition terms and conditions.

Furniture bargain-hunters can also enjoy a special one-day festival sale and save a whopping 20% off the normal retail price for all Enza Home stock if they place an order during Lewisham People’s Day. All furniture items displayed at the festival will also have big discounts: the space-saving Toronto corner sofa bed, multi-functional Born coffee table and the stylish Matt TV unit. A £200 deposit secures you any item, which you can pay off with an interest-free loan agreement (subject to status). Card and cash payments will be accepted on the day.

Enza Home's stylish Toronto corner sofabed

Enza Home is distributed in the UK by Acil Group, the leading provider of Turkish furniture brands in Britain, including Doğtas and Kelebek. The Enza Home showroom is located at 75 Rushey Green, Catford, London SE6 4AF and is open seven days a week. Their product range is also available online at FurnitureRoad.co.uk.

 

Turkish gardens awarded gold at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Nilufer Danis' Garden of Paradise takes its inspiration from 10th century Islamic-Turkish gardens. Photo RHS

NEWS/UK

Nilufer Danis’ Garden of Paradise has won the prize for the Best World Garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – one of the largest flower shows in the world. 

Nilufer Danis with her Best World Garden medal

Sponsored by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture and located in the newly created World and Historical Gardens section, Danis’ design is a contemporary summer space inspired by 10^th century Islamic-Turkish gardens. It features strong geometric architecture, a pavilion for shade, and water fountains and canals that create a cooling effect. The hard landscaping is softened with rich flora that blooms in Turkey.

Originally from Turkey, Nilufer Danis is an award-winning landscape architect who moved to the UK in 2000 to pursue her studies. In recent years, her stunning creations have won prizes at both the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. She was recently commissioned by the Gibraltar government to create a new Commonwealth Park, where she transformed a car park in the heart of a port town into a soft, sustainable and inspiring green space.

Another Turkish landscape gardener was also awarded a gold medal for her show garden. Supported by Noble Caledonia, Esra Parr brings the Spirit of the Aegean to Hampton Court, designing a bright, vibrant yet tranquil Mediterranean garden that serves as the perfect setting for a family summer holiday in Turkey. 

You can see both gardens and much more at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which runs until this Sunday, 5^th July. Details about the gardens, events and tickets are available from the Royal Horticultural Society’s website online.

Gold medal winner: Esra Parr's 'Spirit of the Aegean'. Photo: RHS

Theatre review: new play Endurance “hits home the power of hope and defiance”

CULTURE / THEATRE

By Ipek Ozerim

As we come to terms with the Charleston Church Massacre, the police brutality at last week’s Istanbul Gay Pride and news of another flotilla trying to break the inhumane sea block on Gaza, Endurance: Through Their Eyes could not be more timely. A year in the making, this new political drama comprises three stories about three very different human rights struggles from across the ages – slavery, gay rights, and Palestine – blended into one powerful 60-minute play.

Each story takes centre stage for short bursts, told through the experiences of the chief protagonists who are forced to endure systematic abuse simply because of their skin colour, sexual orientation or ethnicity. We empathise with each, acutely feeling their pain as their cruel worlds inch towards a common finale that hits home the power of hope and defiance. If you haven’t got tears in your eyes at the end, then you left your heart at home.

Dirty brown and white boards (Helen Quinn – set designer) serve as the backdrop to a slave plantation, and the dirty back streets of London and Gaza. They throb to the sounds of music skilfully woven by composer Gianluca Cucchiara who transports you between worlds, from the hauntingly beautiful ezan after another child is killed in Palestine to the Skiffle beats of Soho in the 1950s, and the gospel singing of the Deep South.

Markaiu Mason plays Adam, whose story is based on the real-life account of Adam Halabiya in East Jerusalem. Adam reflects the frustrations of a typical young Palestinian man: however hard he tries to lead a regular, fun life (after winning a game of football, he jokes he looks and plays just like Ronaldo) he cannot avoid the rage as he is humiliated again and again by Israeli soldiers.

Louis Krommenhoek is James, a young talented gay journalist struggling to fit into the heterosexual hipster world of post-war London. It’s hard to believe in 2015, but just sixty years ago any hint of homosexuality in Britain would get you kicked out of your job and most likely prosecuted, which could result in anything from imprisonment to chemical castration. 

Shenay Stephenson.
Photo: TSK Productions

The lead for the final instalment about Virginia, a black domestic slave in Louisiana, is rotated between Kaya Mathews and Shenay Stephenson. It was Stephenson’s turn on our night and she was outstanding. To survive as the mere ‘property’ of a lustful plantation owner and his jealous wife in the Deep South is about enduring the ongoing verbal abuse, the beatings and the rapes.

Virginia’s tender soul is exposed, along with her fierce defiance. She’s offered a glimmer of hope by news of Abraham Lincoln’s proposed reforms, but dare she put her hopes for a free life into the efforts of a “white man”?

At times the storyline is a little too obvious, but its easy to move beyond this as you are so absorbed by the passion and presence of this young cast, predominantly under 25 (the youngest – Liam Perez – is just 15-years-old) who all impress.

Talking to some of them after their Tuesday performance, it is clear few had much awareness of theses critical histories prior to their involvement in the play. That they harness the essence of the struggles so convincingly says much about the nurturing talents of RAaW – the production company behind the play.

An award-winning film and theatre company, RAaW is led by Erim Metto (also a director at the Turkish Cypriot Community Association in Harringay) and his partner Robbi Stevens. The idea for Endurance came to Stevens last year as she watched the War on Gaza unfold. In her programme notes, she says she sees theatre and film as a means of making “people feel closer to the struggle”, and sets out to show the “extreme darkness” with a mixture of “humour and subtlety”.

As much educational as it is art, Endurance: Through Their Eyes leaves the audience with a deep shame about humanity and yet also strangely uplifted. The play and cast deserve a longer run and a far bigger platform.

Runs until: Friday 03 July 2015

Times: Thu: 4.30pm, 6.30pm & 8.30pm. Fri: 6.30pm & 8.30pm

Duration: 60 minutes (no interval)

Address:  Tristan Bates Theatre, 1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP

Ticket prices: £15 (£10 concs)

More info & tickets: tristanbatestheatre.co.uk