Yunus Emre Institute organized an important program on June 7, 2022, to examine the impact of Turkish TV series with a large fan base abroad on promoting Turkey and Turkish culture to the world. The program titled “The Familiarising Effect of Turkish TV Series on Turkish Language and Culture’’ was held at Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) with the participation of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Turkey, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

In his speech at the program, Minister Ersoy congratulated Yunus Emre Institute and the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) for their efforts to protect, develop, and increase the influence of the Turkish language.

“PROTECTING LANGUAGE MEANS PROTECTING EXISTENCE’’

Recalling the anniversary of the famous Turkish thinker, sociologist, and writer Cemil Meriç, who passed away in 1987, on June 13, Ersoy said, “I once again commemorate this great name of Turkish intellectual life with mercy before you. By saying, ‘Dictionary is the honor of a nation. The hand which reaches out to the dictionary, reaches out to honor,’ master made it clear that language is the most important element that provides the qualification of being a nation.’’

Pointing out that protecting language means protecting existence, Ersoy continued as follows:

“We give meaning to our lives through this language. It is our language that forms the basis of architecture, poetry, novels, music, and our world of culture and art. That is why Cemil Meriç noted that this is a matter of honor. Protecting the language is our responsibility not only to our history and past but also to our present and future. Protecting language means protecting culture, art, memory, and ourselves.

Noting that the recent developments, especially in the digital field, have increased their impact and the style used in these areas has a degenerating aspect for the Turkish language, Ersoy emphasized that it is necessary to be careful about this and take the necessary precautions regarding the language that determines the identity.

Ersoy indicated that the programs organized by Yunus Emre Institute and RTÜK under the title of “Media Literacy and Turkish in the Digital Age’’ in different countries made significant contributions to achieving an effect that transcends the boundaries of the language.

“WE HAVE TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE OF TOLERANCE IN ANATOLIA’’

Referring that the mission undertaken by Turkey is extremely important in the face of the difficult conditions that humanity has been going through, Ersoy used the following expressions:

“In order to establish global justice, peace, brotherhood, and a life in accordance with human rights and freedoms, Turkey’s voice needs to be conveyed all over the world. We have to introduce and tell the world about Turkish culture and the atmosphere of tolerance comprised in Anatolia. To that end, I believe that Turkish TV series and movies are of great importance in distributing our culture to wider audiences."

Stating that as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism they have carried out very serious studies to broadcast Turkish TV series in various geographies of the world, Ersoy said, “As a reward for our efforts, our TV series are currently watched in more than 150 countries. Turkey is the country that exports the most TV series and movies after America in the world.’’ 

“IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR LEARNING TURKISH CULTURE AND VALUES’’

As part of this, Ersoy mentioned the findings of the field research titled “Turkish TV series and Turkish’’ conducted by Yunus Emre Institute and RTÜK to investigate the converging effect of Turkish TV series on Turkish and Turkish culture revealed how important the work done was.

Noting that the field research was carried out with the participation of approximately five thousand people from 125 countries, Ersoy shared the following information:

“The majority of those who participated in the field research stated that the main motivation for them to learn Turkish was Turkish TV series. By stating that watching Turkish TV series in language education has some concrete contributions, such as talking faster, understanding spoken words, pronouncing words correctly, and learning how words are used in daily life, the participants underline a much more important point. Participants remark that Turkish TV series also make significant contributions to the learning of Turkish culture and values. For many years, American culture has been the culture that attracted attention in different geographies due to Hollywood productions, but today the peoples of the world are starting to wonder about Turkish culture thanks to Turkish TV series.’’

Minister Ersoy also expressed that he hopes to see the reflections of the results of the fieldwork in different fields, especially in the academy and TV series industry.

“THESE RESULTS NEED TO BE WELL EXPLAINED’’

Ersoy noted that the interest in Turkish TV series has contributed not only to the development of cultural curiosity but also to Turkey from an economic point of view, and accordingly, the targets for TV series exports have also been raised higher.

Explaining that the places where the series were shot attracted the attention of the viewers to many different points of Anatolia and contributed to the increase in the number of tourists coming to Turkey, Ersoy thanked everyone who worked on the study.

Stating that a very important study has been put forward, Ersoy said, “I would like to underline one point in this regard; these results need to be well explained in academia, the media, and the public. Maybe a special study may be required for this.’’

Emphasizing that important contents were included in the “Turkish House’’ and “History of Turkish Language’’ exhibitions presented to the public as part of the Capital Cultural Road Festival at Yunus Emre Institute, Ersoy thanked those who contributed.

“EXPORT VALUE REACHED USD 800 MILLION’’

RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin remarked that they believe in the power of Turkish TV series and productions and said, “We tried to eliminate obstacles. In the next process, our producers and actors have a responsibility. We are waiting for productions that will carry the voice, culture, and breath of Turkey to farther places abroad. We are ready for any support.’’

Yunus Emre Institute President Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş stressed that Turkish TV series occupy a significant place in the world market and said, “While it had an export value of USD 300 million a few years ago, it has reached USD 800 million today.’’

Meanwhile, Minister Ersoy, after arriving at the event area in the garden of Yunus Emre Institute, a strong hail started. Protocol members went to the Institute building and waited for the rain to stop.

"TÜRK DİZİLERİNİ BİRLİKTE YAŞAMA KÜLTÜRÜ VE AİLE ORTAMI ÇEKİCİ KILIYOR"

“CULTURE OF LIVING TOGETHER AND FAMILY ENVIRONMENT MAKES TURKISH TV SERIES ATTRACTIVE’’

According to Turkish TV series and Turkish Field Research directed by Yunus Emre Institute Cultural Diplomacy Academy Coordinator Dr. Melih Barut from Hacettepe University , among the TV series that have left their mark on the memories of Turkish culture, there are Barbaroslar:  Akdeniz’in Kılıcı, Diriliş Ertuğrul, Ezel, Kara Para Aşk, Kuruluş Osman, Masumlar Apartmanı, Mucize Doktor, Sefirin Kızı Siyah Beyaz Aşk, Söz, Teşkilat, Yargı.

The actresses who left their mark on the memories of Turkish culture are listed as Aslı Enver, Burcu Biricik, Cansu Dere, Demet Özdemir, Elçin Sangu, Hande Erçel, Meryem Uzerli, Neslihan Atagül, Tuba Büyüküstün, Pınar Deniz.

Among the male actors who have left their mark on the memory are Barış Arduç, Burak Özçivit, Bülent İnal, Can Yaman, Çağatay Ulusoy, Engin Akyürek, Engin Altan Düzyatan, Kaan Urgancıoğlu, Kerem Bürsin, and Tolga Sarıtaş.

The participants of the research counted Adile Naşit, Halit Akçatepe, Kemal Sunal, Münir Özkul, Tuncel Kurtiz, and Tarık Akan among the masters who have left their mark in the memories and passed away.

The factors that make Turkish TV series attractive are “human relations and the culture of living together” with 20%, “family environment and strong family ties’’ with 19.9%, “romantic relationships’’ with 19.71%, “riveting stories and realistic fiction’’ with 16,36%, “cultural factors and places’’ with 14,52%, “historical details and experiences’’ with 9.5%.

Minister Ersoy awarded the winners of the 21st State Turkish Art Competition.

On the other hand, Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy awarded the winners of the 21st State Turkish Art Competition.

The works that won awards in the 21st State Turkish Art Competition, which was held to support, develop, and expand Turkish arts, were presented to art lovers in an exhibition organized as part of the Capital Culture Road Festival.

In the award ceremony held at the Painting and Sculpture Museum, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy presented the awards to the winners of the competition.

After the award presentation, the artists chatted with Ersoy and shared information about their works.

In the program, the children’s folklore group of the Crimea Family civil society organization, consisting of children, displayed colorful examples of folk dance in their performances. Famous dombra artist Arslanbek Sultanbekov, who conquered the hearts not only in the Turkish world but also with all his compositions, gave a small concert accompanied by soloists from the music group and children’s folklore group. The producer of the “Yunus Said a Word’’ album, which was released by Sultanbekov in March and consisted of the compositions of Yunus Emre’s poems, was undertaken by Yunus Emre Institute. 

After the program, Minister Ersoy visited the “History of Turkish Language’’ and “Turkish House’’ opened at the Ulus building of Yunus Emre Insitute within the scope of the “Capital Cultural Road Festival’’ organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote Ankara’s historical and cultural values to the world. 

A MONETARY AWARD OF TL 493 THOUSAND WAS GIVEN IN TOTAL

In the competition organized by the General Directorate of Fine Arts with the slogan of “From Tradition to the Future’’, a monetary award of TL 493 thousand was given in total this year.

In the competition, the works were evaluated in the categories of Hüsn-i Hat (traditional calligraphy), Tezhip (Turkish Illumination), Miniature, Tile art, Marbling, Kalemişi, Katı

As a result of the evaluations made by the selection committee, a monetary award of TL 20 thousand and an achievement certificate for 18 works, a monetary award of TL 5 thousand and a participation certificate for 18 works that received honorable mention, a monetary award of TL one thousand and a participation certificate for works that received an exhibition award were given.