Mediterranean sailing to know the Mediterranean region, the sea and its history. And not only. Mediterranea sailing and the aim of expedition is the meeting with the culture of the Mediterranean area, and then the intellectuals, artists, writers with whom to exchange ideas and points of view. Mediterranea sailing in search of the “thought of the Mediterranean area“.
Programme of cultural meetings and events in Istanbul from 2015, February 20th to March 27th
On Tuesday, February 24th, at 12.00 local time – Press conference on the Progetto Mediterranea at the Italian Culture Institute of Istanbul, under the patronage and aegis of Dr. Maria Luisa Scolari, Office Regent, and her staff.
On Wednesday, February 25th, at 19.00 local time – a panel/round table with intellectuals and leading figures of the Turkey literature and cultural society, focusing on:
Understanding. Complicity. Listening. Communication (and love) on the Third Millennium.
with the partecipation of:
- Buket Uzuner – writer
- Oya Baydar – writer
- Burhan Sonmez- writer
- Simone Perotti – writer
- Nermin Mollaoglu – chairman
Between the end of February and throughout the month of March, it will take place a series of individual meetings with many representatives of the cultural and social life in Turkey. Meetings will be held at the Italian Institute of Culture, the libraries of Istanbul and spaces made available by several invited guests.
Here some of those who were invited and who have already confirmed their avalaibility:
Omer Zulfu Livaneli, turkish musician, novelist, journalist and filmmaker well known. He was a politician of the left social-democratic and member of Parliament for a turkish legislature. Since 1996 is one of UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassadors. He is best known for its popular music that blends traditional Turkish folk music with contemporary music. At his 1997 concert in Ankara attended about 500.000 people. He lived in Paris, Athens, Stockholm, New York.
Buket Uzuner, turkish writer, author of novels, short stories and travelogues. She studied biology and enviromental science and has conducted research and presentd lectures at universities in Turkey, Norway, the United states, and Finland. Her fiction has been translated into eight languages, as “Mediterranean Walz”.
Bedri Baykam, one of the most famous Turkish artists. A multifaceted artist and ingenious, he is dedicated to all the arts, from painting to sculpture to writing. Founder of the Turkish Plastic Arts Association, he is a member of the executive committee of the International Art Association (IIA). Founder of Piramid Sanat, art gallery and communication company.
Ayfer Tunc, story writer and novelist is a one of the most recent brilliant pens in Turkish literature, has received a lot of attention for her first short story book both from the literary circles and from readers. She was born in 1964, graduated from Istanbul University, School of Political Sciences.
Oya Baydar, turkish writer considered by her readers as “the Françoise Sagan of Turkey”. Her first book, God Forgot His Children, was published in 1961 and her bookFarewell Alyosh, was published in Turkeyin 1991and was awarded with theSait Faik Story Prize. In fact, with her works and novels, she won many awards. Her life has been plagued from exile and depression, but through writing has found a way to fight back.
Burhan Sönmez was born in Central Anatolia in 1965 and later moved to Istanbul where he studied law. He wrote for a number of magazines and has got a column in a national newspaper. Although he was interested in poetry and won awards in two national competitions, he later turned his hand to the novel. He received the prestigious Sedat Simavi Literature Prize in 2011 for his second novel and became the youngest author ever received this prize. He currently lives in Cambridge and Istanbul.
Nermin Mollaoglu, literary agent and co -founder of the Kalem Agency, which represents more than 80 Turkish writers, translators and writers as well as foreign language. She is the organizer of ITEF, Istanbul Tapinar Literature Festival, the first festival of literature in Turkey. In 2009 she was a finalist of the YCA Publisher Award.
Murat Belge, outspoken liberal,Turkish intellectual, academic, translator, columnist, civil rights activist and occasional tour guide. He has traslated works of D.H. Lawernce, James Joyce, Charles Dickens and others. He is an active member of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly.
Ufuk Kocabas, Associate Professor and Director of Department of Conservation and Restoration and also Division of Conservation of Marine Archaeological Objects at Istanbul University. His research is focused on underwater archaeology, ancient shipbuilding technology and conservation of underwater cultural heritage. He is currently directing mediaeval shipwrecks excavation and conservation “The Yenikapı Shipwrecks Project” on behalf of Istanbul University.
Nedim Bora Hazar, documentary director and produce in Turkey, specializing on cultural identity, gender and minority issues, and music and arts. He worked professionally as musicians, as a radio and TV producer. He lived in Germany for over 20 years, until 2003. Presently, he works in istanbul as indipendent film-maker.
Ayfer Tuczu Unsal, journalist and author of books on food and cooking. He worked for five years at the United Nations. He has written three books on the cuisine of the Mediterranean. She loves Turkey and thinks that “here’s the history of all the Mediterranean region.”
Yasemin Taskin, journalist. After opening the press office Anadolu Agency in Rome, now she is correspondent for TRTTURK, the television broadcast. She wrote Tu”rk Sinemasi: Turkish Cinema of the 80s (with Roberto Silvestri, 1991). and “Uccidete il Papa” with Marco Ansaldo, by Rizzoli ed. She was vice-president of the Foreign Press Association. She won the International Women’s City of Rome and the “Anima” award for the journalism on 2015. She is co-founder of Forum for an Italy-Turkey Exchange.
Ferdan Yusufi, gallerist and curator. In 2006 he worked at the opening of the Cultural Center of Kadikoy ( Istanbul ), which she then edited the gallery. Co -founder of the cultural association ” NeoArtGallery ” and owner of the space Innpark Arts in Beyoglu (Istanbul ), she is active for the dissemination of art Turkish and Italian. In 2014 she opened , with the Russo Art Gallery in Rome (Italy), the Istanbul Russo Art Gallery, a direct offshoot of the roman office.
Giuseppe Mancini, Italian journalist, historian, analyst of international politics, helives permanently in Istanbul for years. In his blog “Istanbul, Europe”, with articles, photos, reflections, politics, people (especially those who belong to some minority ), tells the City and Turkey, from a different point of view and out of the standard normal tourist.
Luigi Ballarin, painter. Venetian cosmopolitan in love with the East. With his painting, he reveals environments, colors and intense atmosphere, in undisputed charme of the Arab world. The themes of his pictorial compositions encompass the entire breadth of the culture of the Middle East. Lives in Rome and Istanbul, not forgetting its solid Venetian origins.
Vana Stellou, journalist and radio broadcasters in Turkey providing also full coverage of local culture events for greek newspapers, magazins, websites, as “Agora”. She has a daily radio show “Mes tis Polis ta stena”, in the unique greek radio station in Constantinople, “Iho tis Polis”, conducting interviews with readers, sources, artists, writers, business men and women and anyone directly involved in a story that matters.
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