It seemed an insurmountable task when parents Zeliha and Tuncay Fidan launched a campaign last autumn to raise nearly £2 million for pioneering treatment to save their baby son Metehan, who has severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Yet last week, the couple announced they had reached the required total of $2.4 million (£1.9 million) to […]
There are some people you meet that once you begin to speak you wish the conversation wouldn’t stop, regardless of the topic. As John Ford said, “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart” and indeed Abdullah Nihat Yılmaz was one of those rare people who conducted his talks […]
If you are an artist of Turkish heritage that is based in Britain, the organisers of the annual Turkish Community Art Exhibition would like to hear from you! Now in its third year, and jointly organised by the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London and the Turkish Consulate in London, the exhibition “aims to bring together […]
“All great transcendental art is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being,” wrote Ken Wilber in the foreword to The Mission of Art by Alex Grey. And so it was with a stunning piece of performance art by Sumer Erek on […]
A documentary filmed by the Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations UK (CTCA UK) to celebrate the centenary of Turkish Cypriots in Britain will make its television debut this weekend. On Friday night, 27 November, BRT – the state broadcaster for the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) – will screen ‘My Heart Belongs To….100 years […]
A Turkish family from Leicester have made a desperate appeal for help as they seek to raise nearly two million pounds to fund lifesaving treatment for their toddler son Metehan Fidan. Earlier this year, Metehan was diagnosed with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This rare neuromuscular disease severely debilitates the body: babies with the […]
Four Turks were among the 1,495 people named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020, announced on Friday night. Fashion designer Erdem Moralıoğlu and Jeremy Corbyn’s former diary manager Ayşe Funda Veli are both awarded an MBE, while First Bus supervisor Mustafa Kemal Köksal and scout leader Celal İzcibayar each received a BEM. The four […]
An artist of Turkish heritage living and working in Hackney needs help from the Turkish community in Hackney, East London, for his new project exploring the power of songs that reconnect us to our roots. Kadir Karababa, or Kad for short, will be recording a series of short films of members of migrant communities within […]
A young British Turkish Cypriot psychology student has appealed to the community for help, so she can complete important research into how the mind learns a second language. Londoner Neriman Altiparmak is currently on a Masters’ programme in Applied Psychology at Middlesex University. Part of her study involves exploring word and picture association for Turkish-English […]
Without a doubt, 2020 has been a strange year. An unknown virus, millions dead or infected, international travel bans, and government-imposed lockdowns for our protection, which have separated us from our loved ones and put a stop to many of our favourite pastimes in a bid to minimise human contact. One happy constant throughout this […]
