Organised as part of 2016 Turkish Summer School, first of the event series titled Culture Nights by Sound of Turkish Radio was held in Samsun.

Event organised with support from Samsun Governorship and Ondokuz Mayıs University, took start as Friendship Truck specially designed for 2016 Turkish Summer School arrived at Samsun Cumhuriyet Square.

60 students from 20 countries who are trained in Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University TÖMER, Ankara University TÖMER and Giresun University TÖMER and joined cultural excursions as guests of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, enthusiastically welcomed Friendship Truck in Cumhuriyet Square.

Following the activities organised by Sound of Turkish Radio with students in the square, TÖMER Officials of Universities and visiting students moved to Omtel Otel for the event titled “I Compete in Turkish”.

Event titled I Compete in Turkish featuring performances, activities and competitions took start at 7 P.M. with opening speeches by Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Akan and Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Head of Turkish Instruction Centre Kerim Sarıgül. Following the screening of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü and Turkish Summer School promotion videos, the competition participated by five students began.  In the competition participated by Busejra Jıldız from Macedonia, Mohamed Moursy from Egypt, Peter Farkas from Hungary, Tilebaldi Uraimzanov from Kirghizia and Haniye Modaber from Iran, questions regarding Turkish language, culture, history and art were asked. Hungarian Peter Farkas won the competition by giving correct answers to nine questions out of ten. All students were presented with specially designed nostalgic radios after the competition ended.

Tar performance by Iranian Shahram Barazande was accompanied by vocalists Dilara Karashova from Kazakhstan and Albinka Bajric from Bosnia-Herzegovina and the audience enjoyed a musical feast of Turkish folk songs.

Foreign students had special moments in the whirling dervish show after the concert. A dinner was organised for all following the I Compete in Turkish competition.

60 students who visited Cumhuriyet Square by service buses where Friendship Truck awaited to support Turkey, got together with Samsun locals. 

Yunus Emre Enstitüsü made its mark on democracy meeting organised in Cumhuriyet Square by Samsun Governorship and Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, with Turkish Summer School students. Democracy meeting with the host as Sound of Turkish Radio speaker Mert Talat Dilekçioğlu and attended by tens of thousands of citizens, took start with a speech by Turkish Instruction Centre Director Kerim Sarıgül. Sarıgül marking that 540 students from 46 countries arrived in Turkey without hesitation and fear even though Turkish Summer School began only one week after the coup attempt on July 15^th and taught the whole world a lesson, thanked Samsun locals and officials who host the students. Event continued as Turkish Summer School students greeted Samsun locals and made supportive speeches for Turkey, and they later performed famous song by Aşık Veysel Uzun İnce bir Yoldayım for Samsun locals. Samsun locals were deeply moved by performance of Turkish national anthem March of Independence by an Algerian student, who performed the whole poem by heart and deeply felt it. Following the hour-long event, students performed prayers, poems and songs to support Turkey. As Democracy Meeting continued with Turkish Summer Schools, welcomed by tens of thousands of Samsun locals in unison, Friendship Truck came together with Samsun locals. Students who attracted considerable attention from Samsun locals had photographs taken with them.