Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) organized festivities and celebration ceremonies in its centers around the world on the occasion of April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

APRIL 23 NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATED IN CHINA

April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day was celebrated in Beijing, the capital of China.

At the celebration event organized by Beijing Yunus Emre Institute under the auspices of the Turkish Embassy in Beijing, Turkish and Chinese children had fun together and experienced the joy of the holiday.

The program, which was held in the open-air event area of Beijing Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center, started with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem.

In his speech, Turkey’s Ambassador to Beijing Abdulkadir Emin Önen said, “The Commander-in-Chief of our Independence War and the first President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, presented the opening day of the parliament, April 23, as a holiday to all children of the world. With the application of our country, we continue to celebrate every April 23 in Turkey with children from all over the world since the ‘International Children’s Year’ was declared by the United Nations in 1979.’’

Reminding that it is children who will shape the future of Turkey and the future of the whole world, Önen said, “I hope you will carry the trust you have received from our generation much further. The most precious treasure of our nation, the apple of the eye, you are our valuable children. As Atatürk said, you, who are sparks now, will become flames in the future. You must be moral, well-educated, responsible, and productive individuals who are beneficial to your family, country, nation, and all humanity.’’

In addition to Turkish citizens and their families living in Beijing, Chinese families and children also showed interest in the event. Turkish and Chinese children had fun together by participating in collective games. 

In the program, the horon show presented by Lena Ekizer, who lives and continues her education in Beijing due to her family’s duty, was watched with admiration.

LONDRA YUNUS EMRE ENSTİTÜSÜNDE "KARAGÖZ VE HACİVAT" OYUNU SERGİLENDİ

İngiltere'de 23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı kapsamında, Londra Yunus Emre Enstitüsü tarafından "Karagöz ve Hacivat" gölge oyunu düzenlendi. 

Başkent Londra'daki Yunus Emre Enstitüsü merkezinde sergilenen, Türk kültürünün önemli somut olmayan kültürel miraslarından "Karagöz ve Hacivat" oyununa çocuklar ve aileleri büyük ilgi gösterdi.

Londra Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Başkanı Mehmet Karakuş, etkinlik öncesi yaptığı açıklamada, 23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı vesilesiyle düzenlenen oyunla hem çocuklara bayram coşkusu kazandırmak hem de onları bu kültürel mirasla tanıştırmak istediklerini belirtti.

Karakuş, Yunus Emre Enstitüsünün 2018'den bu yana yürüttüğü Karagöz ve Hacivat oyunu projesi kapsamında, İngiltere'nin çeşitli bölgelerinde Türkçe ve İngilizce 40'a yakın oyun sergilediklerini kaydetti.

Mehmet Karakuş, "Karagöz ve Hacivat gölge oyunu hem ülkemiz hem kültürümüzle bir bağ kurmak anlamında başarılı bir proje olarak devam ediyor." dedi.

THE PLAY ‘’KARAGÖZ AND HACİVAT’’ EXHIBITED AT LONDON YUNUS EMRE INSTITUTE

As part of the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in England, the shadow play ‘’Karagöz and Hacivat’’ was organized by the London Yunus Emre Institute. 

Children and their families showed great interest in the play “Karagöz and Hacivat’’, one of the important intangible cultural heritages of the Turkish culture, which was exhibited at the Yunus Emre Institute center in the capital, London.

London Yunus Emre Institute President Mehmet Karakuş in his statement before the event, said that they wanted to both bring the joy of the holiday and introduce them to this cultural heritage with the play organized on the occasion of April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

Karakuş noted that as part of the Karagöz and Hacivat play project, which Yunus Emre Institute has been conducting since 2018, they have performed nearly 40 plays in Turkish and English in various parts of England.

Mehmet Karakuş said, “Karagöz and Hacivat shadow play continues as a successful project in terms of establishing a bond with both our country and our culture.’’

THE JOY OF AFRICAN CHILDREN FOR APRIL 23

South African children celebrated April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day with great enthusiasm.

Turkish diplomatic missions and institutions in the country held various events in the cities of Pretoria, Cape Town, and Johannesburg in consideration of April 23. Hundreds of South African children who participated in the events were given various gifts.

Members of the Embassy, representatives of Turkish institutions, International Maarif Schools of South Africa students, and their families attended the ceremony held at the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria.

Speaking at the ceremony, Turkey’s  Ambassador to Pretoria Ayşegül Kandaş, stated that this holiday was gifted to all children of the world by the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and expressed her happiness to celebrate this holiday of South African children on this occasion.

As part of the ceremony, a South African student symbolically sat in the Embassy office, and after the ceremony, an archery and marbling presentation was made by the Yunus Emre Institute.

THE AMBASSADOR HAND HIS SEAT

Ambassador Bayraktar handed his seat to Nigerian Muhammed Asma within the scope of April 23.

Asma, 12, who took over the seat, said in his statement that he was very happy to be given the opportunity to celebrate the children’s day.

Expressing that he wants Turkey and Nigeria to be one, Asma said, “I want peace in the world. I want Turkey and Nigeria to come together and build schools in different parts of the world.’’

The program ended with songs, games, and a meal for the children.

APRIL 23 CELEBRATIONS AT DAKAR YUNUS EMRE INSTITUTE

April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day was celebrated in Dakar Yunus Emre Institute. Turkey’s Ambassador to Dakar, Ahmet Kavas, representatives of Turkish institutions, and children from Senegal attended the program held in the garden of the Institute.

In the program, children between the ages of 5-8 from low-income families and children with Albinism held various activities and played games in the garden of the Institute.

Dakar Yunus Emre Institute Director Merve Işık Elsıkma said in her statement that they celebrated April 23 with enthusiasm with Senegalese children and noted,

“We invited children with Albinism to our program in order to draw attention to the difficulties experienced by individuals with Albinism in Africa.” It was very meaningful to celebrate April 23 with these children, who were often excluded from the society they lived in, subjected to various persecution, and could not even fully live their childhood. Apart from that, children from low-income families were also among us. We gave toys to all children and sunscreen to children with Albinism. 63 children participated in the program, and all of them were so happy with the activities we prepared for them.’’

APRIL 23 CELEBRATED WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM IN AZAZ

April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day was celebrated with the program held in Azaz by Azaz Yunus Emre Institute in cooperation with Molham Volunteering Team. Our children experienced the enthusiasm of April 23 by having fun abundantly.

In the program, where many activities such as painting pictures, wall painting, children’s games, and Turkish activities were carried out, children had lots of fun. Due to the month of Ramadan, iftar dinner was organized with the participation of their families. 

In order to keep the memory of April 23, many gifts such as school bags, combed cotton clothings, stationery materials, and candy were distributed to our little guests.

THE JOY OF APRIL 23 IN AMMAN

On the occasion of April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, Amman Yunus Emre Institute held a kite festival with children learning Turkish as an elective course at Kingston Schools.

After the information on April 23 given by Amman Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Cengiz Eroğlu, dozens of children who bought their kites had a happy day by having fun to their heart’s content.

SPECIAL SCIENCE SHOWS AND WORKSHOPS FOR APRIL 23 IN MOSCOW

Our April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day event held at the Moscow State Children’s Library, one of the largest and most important libraries in Moscow, was the scene of colorful images. 

With the songs, poems, and various stage performances prepared by the children and games, dances, gifts, science shows, and workshops organized by the costumed animation teams, holiday atmosphere was lived abundantly. 

After Mehmet Samsar, Turkey’s Ambassador to Moscow, who made the opening speeches of the event, Moscow Children’s Library Deputy Director Denis Beznesov, Moscow Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Ferhat Tamkoç, and Russian-Turkish Businessmen Association President Sabahattin Yavuz made speeches on the meaning and importance of the day.

In the workshop desks and activity areas set up at different points in the library, our children had the chance to develop their hand skills and have fun together At the end of the program, in addition to the distribution of gift packages prepared for the children, workshop materials with images of the meaning and importance of the day decorated by children with their own hands were also presented to our children as gifts commemorating the day.

CRAFTS EVENTS FOR CHILDREN IN VIENNA

With the program held at Vienna Yunus Emre Institute, April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day was celebrated effusively. The felting workshop organized for children aged 6-12 with the Vienna Main Library on Friday, April 22, attracted great attention.

In the felting workshop given by the painter and felt artist Cansu Yakın, the children embroidered the shapes they wanted on the cloth bags with felt. The children, who had the opportunity to take the bags they crafted with them, experienced the excitement of being able to use the work they produced all year long. 

On Saturday, April 23, our Institute participated in the children’s festival with an exhibition organized by the Turkish Republic Consulate General in Vienna. The products of the painting course organized for children at our Institute last semester were presented to the participants in this exhibition.

In the course given by Elif Beyaz Erbay, a graduate of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, children reinterpreted the paintings of famous painters in addition to gaining art knowledge, including basic techniques from the use of brushes to knowledge of color. A selection of these paintings, interpreted by our children aged 6-12, met with the visitors as part of the Children’s Day, and thus our children were filled with the happiness of presenting their first exhibition to a large audience.