The winners of the 'Bursa Diary Story Competition' organized by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality in memory of the 100th Anniversary of the Lausanne Exchange, within the scope of the 100th anniversary of the Republic, were rewarded. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş stated that it is very sad for a person to have to leave the land where he was born and raised and to go to that country with a passport, and said that these pains should be passed on to future generations.
Continuing its work in many areas from infrastructure to transportation in Bursa, the Metropolitan Municipality continues to contribute to the cultural and artistic life of the city. The 'Bursa Diary Story Competition', organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic and the Lausanne Exchange, brought the events on the migration routes to the present day. Bursa Uludağ University Turkish Language and Literature Department faculty member Prof. Dr. Nesrin Karaca, Mustafa Çiftci, one of the leading names of Turkish storytelling, Nevzat Çalıkuşu, the poet and writer known as the living memory of Bursa, Hasan Erdem, who made people love Turkish history with his historical novels and stories, and Güray Süngü, who is among the important names of Turkish literature with his novels and stories. The team formed determined the winners of the competition. Accordingly, Saadet Küçük with the pen name 'Hayal Meyal' came first, Oğuz Mutlu with the pen name 'Avni Muradi' came second, and Seval Özdemir with the pen name 'Kebikeç' came third. Nilar Gök, with the pen name 'Gemlik35', and Hatice Öztop Büber, with the pen name 'Hayalci', were deemed worthy of the incentive award. The winner of the competition was rewarded with 15 thousand TL, the second with 10 thousand, the third with 5 thousand, and the two people who received incentives were awarded with 2 thousand 500 TL each.
Bursa is like the summary of the Balkans
The award ceremony of the competition, which added value to the cultural memory of Bursa, was held at the Montania Hotel in Mudanya, which hosted the Mudanya Armistice, the first political victory of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Speaking at the award ceremony, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş stated that Bursa was the first official capital of the Ottoman Empire, where it took root on its way to becoming a global state, and that the branches of the great plane tree planted by our ancestors in Bursa extend to 3 continents and 7 climates. Noting that many nations lived in peace and tranquility under those branches for centuries, Mayor Aktaş said, “The Son of Fatihan, who went to the Balkans in the footsteps of Sarı Saltık Gazi, were spirited people who worked and strived for the settlement of those lands for centuries. Son of Fatihan, he reconstructed, revitalized and built every inch of the Balkans. They left their lands and went there for a lofty purpose. They kneaded every inch of Rumelia with their blood to make it homeland. But the day came when the peace in the Balkans was disrupted. After the rebellions, the Balkan Wars, World War I, the Lausanne Exchange, and assimilations, our compatriots and brothers had to migrate from the Balkans to various parts of Turkey, especially Bursa. How sad it is to have to leave the land where one was born and raised and to go to that country with a passport. Bursa is like the summary of the Ottoman Empire: Everyone from north to south, east to west came together in Bursa. In a way, Bursa is like the summary of the Balkans. "One direction is always towards the Balkans," he said.
These pains must be transferred to the future
Stating that they organized such a story contest this year because it is the 100th anniversary of both the Republic and the Lausanne Exchange, Mayor Aktaş said, “Our magazine, Bursa Günlüğü, which is in demand and followed fondly not only in our city but also from almost all over Turkey, is called Lausanne. We wanted to mark the 100th anniversary of the Population Exchange. In this regard, we opened a story contest about our compatriots and brothers who had to migrate to our city from the Balkans. On the occasion of this competition; We aimed to bring up the life stories and struggles of the Balkan immigrants who immigrated to Bursa. We must pass on this pain, this sorrow, this sadness to future generations. The late Aliya Izetbegovic says 'we will not forget, we will not let people forget' about the Srebrenica massacre. Because forgotten genocide repeats itself. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer these pains to future generations. We must not forget. In fact, this is how the Republic was won. On this occasion, I commemorate with mercy and respect our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our blessed homeland, especially the founder of our Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman Gazi, the conqueror of Bursa, Orhan Gazi, and our immigrant brothers who died on the migration routes. "I would like to thank all the participants and the selection committee who added value to our competition with their works," he said.
Saadet Küçük, the winner of the competition, said that she listened to the population exchange stories more than her elders and that she participated in this competition so that these stories would not be forgotten.
Oğuz Mutlu, the second runner-up of the competition, stated that he saw a photograph of two Turks before they were executed in Bulgaria and was inspired by his story.
Seval Özdemir, the third place winner of the competition, stated that she had listened to many migration stories and that she was very impressed by the fact that they came to Turkey just for the sake of faith, and said, “The fact that people came here for the sake of the values they live by opened different horizons for me. "Thank you very much for organizing this competition," he said.
After the speeches, Mayor Aktaş gave a plaque of appreciation to the selection committee members and awards to the winning contestants.
Melda Üney, Board Member of the Cretan Mudanya Cretans and Yanyans Culture and Solidarity Association, presented President Aktaş with a Cretan lace embroidered on a towel.
