This year, the XNUMXth Izmir International Literature Festival, organized with the theme "Literature is Calm", started. Speaking at the opening of the festival, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer“I would also like to announce that we will make an application for İzmir to be a UNESCO City of Literature. Homer of Izmir, who translated the sentences flowing from the mountains of Izmir to the sea for the first time into the language of the people, of course, constitutes the essence of our candidacy for the UNESCO City of Literature.”
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Ahmet Piriştina City Archive and Museum (APİKAM) and the Goethe Institute, in partnership with the sixth Izmir International Literature Festival, started with a ceremony at the St. Vukolos Church. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor attended the opening of the festival, which was held with the theme of "Literature is Calm". Tunç Soyer, TRNC İzmir Consul General Ayşen Volkan İnanıroğlu, 6th İzmir International Literature Festival Director Haydar Ergülen, festival's honorary guest Latife Tekin, Goethe Institute İzmir Director Nivin El Sioufy, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality bureaucrats, writers and literature lovers.
Soyer: “Literature is calm”
President Tunç SoyerStating that this year's festival is a call from Izmir to the world, he said, "Literature is calm". Expressing that he believes that there are residents of the world of dreams and thoughts, just as there are residents of houses, neighborhoods and forests, Mayor Soyer continued his words as follows: “This universal homeland, whose range extends to eternity, is the world of us 'literary inhabitants'. We wanted our festival to give strength to the inhabitants of literature in these difficult days of our world. We wanted this beautiful meeting to increase the area of harmony, not fear, in our world. Let it not grow selfishness and selfishness, but unity in the multitude. That's why we named our reunion 'Literature is calm'.
“Art is the mirror of the invisible nature inside man”
Mayor Soyer said that he tried to bring the calmness of nature to the streets and squares of cities and said, “The most basic way is to grow art in the city. Because art is the mirror of the invisible nature inside man. I would like to give you the good news that we will make an application for İzmir to be a UNESCO City of Literature through our Literature Festival. Homer from Izmir, who translated the sentences flowing from the mountains of Izmir towards the sea for the first time into people's language, of course, constitutes the essence of our candidacy for the UNESCO City of Literature. Our world, our country and our cities desperately need calmness, where we can reproduce the joy of living, instead of dizzying speed and ambition. And we know that art, which allows us to breathe, frees us, increases our joy and strengthens our hope, is the only way. Literature is calm," he said.
commemoration of Mahsa Amin by Tekin
Latife Tekin, guest of honor of the festival, started her speech by opening a “Woman, Life, Freedom” banner for Mahsa Amini, who was murdered in Iran. Tekin, who wanted everyone to stand up for Iranian women, continued his speech stating that women should be in solidarity: “I thank you very much for choosing me as the guest of honor. I hope more women will be honored at such festivals.”
There are over 60 events
The festival, which will be attended by 7 guests from 40 countries, will last until 7 October. In the festival where more than 60 events will be held in many districts such as Konak, Urla and Seferihisar, this year Ahmet Büke, Akif Kurtuluş, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Ayşen Deniz, Barış İnce, Bekir Yurdakul, Betül Dünder, Çağla Meknuze, Doğu Yücel, Duygu Kankaytsın, Emel Kaya, Yavuz Ekinci, Gaye Boralıoğlu, Gönül Çatalcalı, Halil İbrahim Özcan, Hidayet Karakuş, Hüseyin Peker, Hüseyin Yurttaş, İlyas Tunç, İnanç Avadit, Latife Tekin, Nazmi Ağıl, Sema Kaygusuz, Semih Çelenk, Şerife Yalçınkaya, Şükran Yücel, Umay Umay, Veysel Important names such as Çolak, Mario Tiago Paixao, Arzu Armağan Akkanatlı, Gizem Pınar Karaboğa, Eckhart Nickel and Özgür Taburoğlu will take part.
Be the first to comment