The Role of Municipalities in Culture and Arts for Cohabitation Addressed
The opening speeches of the event, hosted by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality at Metrohan, were delivered by Mahir Polat, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General, Merve Ağca, MMU Senior Expert on International Affairs and Migration Policies and RESLOG Turkey Project Coordinator and Burcu Özüpak Güleç RESLOG Turkey Project Manager. The event was attended by representatives from the MMU Migration Platform, MMU Social Services Platform, and MMU Culture Platform, consisting of representatives of the MMU member municipalities, working on social cohesion, social services, and culture. The event, held in the context of World Refugee Day, focused on the topic of culture and art as a city right, within the axis of social cohesion and migration, and centered on cohabitation and co-production.
Participatory art activities such as storytelling, painting and textile workshops conducted with different target groups like children, youth, and women at community centers in Orhangazi Municipality, Sultanbeyli Municipality, and Şişli Municipality were conveyed by Zeynep Hakgüder, Children’s Book Illustrator, Gül Bolulu, Textile Artist Bülent Aydın, Orhangazi Citizen Council Representative and young participants of ateliers, moderated Ervin Sezgin, by RESLOG Turkey Marmara Regional Expert. The discussion on how cultural and artistic policies and activities in local governments can become more inclusive was moderated by Samet Keskin, MMU Senior Expert on Urban Policies with the participation of T. Volkan Aslan, Head of Culture Department of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Kemal Vural Tarlan, General Coordinator of Migration and Cultural Studies Center of Kırkayak Culture and Alp Arısoy, Urban Studies Project Coordinator of Urban Coop. The event emphasized importance of cultural and artistic activities that unify, strengthen and support meeting around a common language, and included an exhibition of the works produced in the workshops.
