National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, officially celebrated in the Republic of Turkey on April 23, was marked on the same day in Constanța in a show dedicated exclusively to the youngest members of the Turkish community. The event was organized by the Constanta County School Inspectorate in partnership with the Turkish Democratic Union from Romania, the Democratic Union of Turkish-Muslim Tatars from Romania, the Children’s Palace and together with the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Constanta.
At the opening of the show, the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Constanța, Mr. Emre Yurdakul thanked all the partners for their involvement in organizing the event and specified that “in 1920, on April 23, the Parliament of Turkey met for the first time to proclaim sovereignty, and in 1928, this day was dedicated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to be celebrated for children, as a sign of respect for the young generation, a symbol of the country’s future”. At the end of his address, the Turkish diplomat congratulated all the children present in the hall. The participants of the show were also congratulated, on the occasion of April 23, by the school inspector from ISJ Constanța, Prof. Ikbal Anefi, but also by the adviser on education issues from the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bucharest, Mrs. Serpil Murtezaoğlu.
Next, the folklore ensembles “Şirinler” (UDTR), “Karasu” (UDTTMR) and “Rhapsody of the Sea” (Children’s Palace) took to the stage of the Children’s Palace, each performing a program of traditional Turkish, Tatar and Romanian dances. The rhythms of traditional Turkish, Tatar and Romanian music resounded again when the preschoolers of the “Zubeyde Hanim” Kindergarten danced on the stage of the Children’s Palace.
A short artistic program was also offered by the students of the K. Atatürk National College in Medgidia. The show ended with a program of Romanian folk dances from different regions of the country supported by the “Rhapsody of the Sea” ensemble and with a group photo with all the participants in the show, to the tune of the song “Today is April 23” (Bugün 23 Nisan).
The event was attended by students who study Turkish as their mother tongue in the educational institutions of Constanţa together with their teachers, but also by children of Turkish citizens who work in the city on the shores of the Black Sea. All children had the opportunity to play and take photos with animators dressed as their favorite characters such as Elsa or Spider Man and experience face painting. In the context of the anniversary of Children’s Day in the Republic of Turkey, students enrolled in the Turkish mother tongue in Constanta schools made thematic drawings that could be admired in an exhibition at the Children’s Palace.
The Turkish Democratic Union in Romania was represented at the event by the president of the UDTR, Fedbi Osman, and the general secretary Ervin Ibraim. The president of the Education Commission of UDTR, Prof. dr. Vildan Bormambet, counselor at the Minorities Directorate of the Ministry of Education. The Turkish Democratic Union from Romania also marked Children’s Day in the Republic of Turkey at the UDTR branches in Mangalia, Medgidia, Cobadin, Valu lui Traian and Fântâna Mare, between April 20-23. The project was co-donated by the president of the Education Commission of UDTR, Prof. Dr. Vildan Bormambet.
