This year, Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) represented Turkey at the Immigrants Day Festival, which is organized every year in Argentina and visited by thousands of people, where Argentines from different ethnic backgrounds introduce the cultures of their ancestors.

The festival was organized by the National Migration Administration in the garden of the former Hotel of Immigrants, where immigrants stayed when they arrived in the capital Buenos Aires in the early 1900s when the country was flooded with immigrants, and which has been serving under the Migration Administration since 1990.

Yunus Emre Institute represented Turkey at the festival on September 4, 2022, which was attended by communities of various origins from China to Denmark and Korea to Congo.

In addition to the music, dance, and performances of various cultures, Turkish citizens wearing local costumes carried the Turkish flag during the parade, while visitors who showed great interest in the booth set up enjoyed flavors such as tea, coffee, döner, and baklava.

"THERE WAS GREAT INTEREST IN TURKEY STAND"

Yunus Emre Institute Argentina Coordinator Aydın Bayat said, "There was a great interest in the Turkish stand. People attending the festival were particularly interested in Turkish cuisine. Many people from different cultures participated here, so this festival provided visitors with the opportunity to get to know Turkish culture and to see cultures that are far from each other together."

Drawing attention to the activities of Yunus Emre Institute, Bayat said, "Participants who visited our stand mostly asked questions about Turkish courses. Thus, we have opened a door for people who are interested in Turkish culture and language through Turkish TV series to develop themselves in this field from the right source, and we have contributed to strengthening the bond between societies."

A SONG INCREASED CURIOSITY ABOUT TURKEY

Estela Alfonzo from Argentina, who visited Turkey's stand, said, "The presentation is very nice, I really liked that Turkey has a stand. Such events bring us together and allow us to see the beauty of each country, especially Turkey."

Wearing a t-shirt with Turkey written on it and a necklace with a moon star, Estela stated that her interest in Turkey started with a song and said, "I had never heard Turkish before. I found a song by Tarkan on Youtube, and thanks to that song I became interested in Turkish. I discovered Turkish culture, I met people from Turkey, I traveled to Turkey twice, I got to know many beautiful places."

Saying that she loves Turkey very much, Estela said, "There is a great interest in Turkish culture in Argentina, apart from everything else, this is notice thanks to the TV series."