40 days 40 nights Sulukule summary

“40 Days 40 Nights Sulukule” is the sum of the activities that aim to preclude the social-cultural losses that are expected to take place and to draw attention and support to the region to enable a creative and participatory urban regeneration. In fact, more than a sum of activities, it is a participatory platform. Different disciplines, individuals and institutions that touches upon the issue from different perspectives come together. In this direction, in the short term, we aim to draw attention to, to increase support for and to create a common sharing field within the territory. Also in the long term, we aim to obtain a participatory, creative and sustainable urban regeneration involving the local residents, government officials and all of the parties related to the issue.

Sulukule is one of the first Roman Settlements and has owned an important location in Ottoman Empire. There are still houses which own Ottoman deeds. The founding of Sulukule Sustenance and Preservation Tourism Association in 1969 shows the liveliness of the territory and its importance for Istanbul. The territory was not only a housing area but also a settlement where music was produced and practiced, which had a lively economic and cultural structure with its unique entertainment culture and which drew many tourists. In 1990’s, with the closing of the entertainment houses, which used to be an important part of the economic and cultural resources of the territory, Sulukule entered a phase of economic and social decline. Despite all it has gone through, Sulukule still owns the potential of regeneration and still is a colorful Istanbul Settlement whose unique culture endures.

The existing renewal approach, does not provide an understanding for and reaffirm the sustainability of the residents’ culture and the region’s economic structure. With short terms approaches the existing potential of the region is not taken into consideration. Sulukule, is one of the settlements in historical island that is in the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to UNESCO norms, the territory should be preserved and kept alive not only physically, but also socially and culturally. The new vision, that embodies the social and cultural accumulations and the potential of the territory, could provide crucial achievements in the scale of local residents, Istanbul and the World.

At this point, 40 Days 40 Nights Sulukule Activities aim to transcend the traditional facility approach. It aims to preclude the elimination of the relationship between the space and the culture of the territory and the community. Also the activities try to create a platform which opens the issue to a creative and contemporary thinking ground. The platform aims to prevent the existing socio-cultural structure and the rich history from disintegrating and to become itself an example for a participatory, creative and strong social movement. In this direction, 40 Days 40 Nights, acts through the possibilities asking what can be done, what kind of positive projects, activities can be developed in different fields related to the issue and how can they be sustained. As the judicial process studies continue, 40 Days 40 Nights Sulukule try to highlight the social side of the issue.

The platform progresses with the support and participation of many NGOs, volunteers, architects, urban planners, academicians, sociologists, artists, musicians, historians, documentarians etc. Activities are open to many related fields, such as, music, dance, performance, history, film, art, architecture, urban, sociology to discover the potential of the territory. Activities are distributed to a wide range of places and a long period of time. From film festivals, to music concerts, from art workshop to meetings, from panels to exhibitions, these activities will take place in Sulukule and in parallel spaces, like Beyoğlu and universities.

To catch up with what’s going on in Sulukule in detail may visit our website.

www.40gun40gecesulukule.com

THERE’S STILL HOPE FOR SULUKULE!

We- those who participate in this platform- want to live in and to experience Sulukule 40 days and 40 nights, to understand it while living in it in order to protect it, to protect it in order to carry it into the future…

We want to see and to show everyone that another transformatory model is possible.

We want to strengthen local reality, make it visible and its voice audible.

We want the local culture to be questioned while being preserved and maintained.

We encourage academicians, legal practitioners, artists, local governments, Istanbul residents, the young, the old, those from Sulukule and those who are not, practically everyone to participate in our activities.

In 2010 Istanbul will be the European Capital of Culture;

How can Istanbul be a capital of culture unless we immediately start preserving and reinforcing the colors and the dynamics that belong to the city and its culture?

24^th of March 2007 Opening Events

Press Release

• The current situation in Sulukule and the progress up to now
• About the activities of 40 Days 40 Nights Sulukule

Color

• Cooperation with the Sulukule community by painting the houses
• The woven picture “İnci Abla” by artist Gül Bolulu
• Graffiti with Volkan Pazaroğlu (Tura)

Sound and Movement (Festivity)

Music and Dance Activity

· Sulukule Roman Orchestra

· Gevende Music Band

· Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası (Performance Group)

· Hangar Çalgıcıları (Music Band)

12.30- 16.30

Sulukule

5-6^th of May 2007 Closing Events,

Traditional Spring Celebrate Events

In the open space next to the Sulukule Foundation

· Performances of the groups participating in 40 Gün 40 Gece Sulukule Activities and exhibition of artworks that were made during the 40 Gün 40 Gece Sulukule workshops.

· Paintings, photographs, dance, music, projects, movies etc.

· Sulukule Roman Orchestra

· Hangar Çalgıcıları (Music Band)

· Open air film screening

· Graffiti workshop

· Guest groups to be announced during the show

· Festival shows and activities

· Participation in Ahırkapı Hidirellez festival at the evening of May 5th

· Concert by Fulya Buz Kraliçesi

· May 5th dance workshop, Maral Ceranoğlu, Candan Bafl,

· Hip Hop workshop

· “Reading and Understanding Sulukule”, exhibition, presentation, workshop

Associate Professor Feride Önal PhD.

Assistant Professor Ercan Koç PhD.

Assistant Professor Murat Fiahin PhD.

· • Improvisation and mime workshop with kids

Dizem Kaftancı

Concerts

Concert by KlarnetKule,

Klarnetkule Concert directed by Serkan Çağrı and concert by Sulukule

Roman Orchestra

April 23th, 2007

Garaj İstanbul 21.00

Sulukule Roman Orchestra and Sulukule Night

April 29th, 2007

Araf 21.30

8-11th May 2007 Romany Film Festival

Films about the Roman culture will be screened for 4 days along with exhibitions, conversations and other activities. In these days following the Hidirellez festival, 15 films ranging from films by famous directors such as Tony Gatlif to local documentaries will be screened. Films such as “Latcho Drom”, “Gadjo Dilo” and “Transilvania” by Tony Gatlif, “When the Road Bends” about the band Taraf de Haidouks, “Garlic and Watermelons” which is about the displacement of Romans who used to live in the centre of Athens, “Gypsy Magic” which is about Macedonian Romans are among the films to be screened between May 8th-11th.

Among the local documentaries to be screened are “Küçükbakkalköy” which is about the demolition of houses in Küçükbakkalköy, “Roman Olsun” about the daily lives of Romans living in Turkey, “Sulukule” which is about the urban transformation and Romans in Turkey, “Ötekiler” about paper collectors in the district of Kocaleli 28 Haziran. The premiere of the most extensive documentary about the Romans living in Turkey “Buçuk” will take place in this week.

L’Institut Français d’Istanbul (French Cultural Center)

Panels

The Road to Hope

16.00 Panel

18.00 Film screening

April 20, 2007 Friday

Maçka campus – ITU MIAM presents

Dia Show and Conversation

Özgür Baykal: “Kari Tecav?”

Timurtaş Onan: “Timeless Dolapdere”

Mustafa Özünal: “Makuşma Mede Rom Sinom”

Kutup Dalgakıran: “Ay Kako Sali”

Çoşkun Aşar: “Trip to Spring”

April 25, 2007 Wednesday18.30

Turkcell Theatre

Urban Transformation in Turkey and Samples from İstanbul

April 26, 2007 Thursday 14.30-19.30

Chamber of Mechanical Engineers

Tradition of Music and Entertainment in Sulukule, Today Again?

May 03, 2007 Thursday 18.00

İstanbul Bilgi University Dolapdere Campus BS-1

“An Evaluation on Gırgıriye Films”

Main Framework: Belma Kurtişoğlu

With the participation of the guests from the district

May 8-11, Roman Films Week

L’Institut Français d’Istanbul (French Cultural Center)

Exhibitions

Painting with the Participation of Sulukule Community

Su Yücel

April 21, 2007 Saturday / Sulukule

“ Sulukule in The Eyes of Children: What do I love in here?” Photography Workshop Exhibition – Slide Show

Tansel Atasagun

May 5-6, 2007 Saturday/ Sulukule

Exhibition of Woven Roman Portraits and Exhibition of Good Wishes to Spring Workshop

Gül Bolulu

April 30 – May 11 2007 / L’Institut Français d’Istanbul (French Cultural Center)

UlisphotoFest Photography Exhibitions

• Portraits From Turkish Roman Districts

Özgür Baykal

• “ Sulukule in The Eyes of Children: What do I love in here?”

Artworks from the workshop with Tansel Atasagun

• “Remains of Sulukule”

Seyit Ali Ak, Yunus Emre Aydın, Özgür Baykal, Kutup

Dalgakıran, Mehmet Gülbiz, Mehmet Oflazoğlu, Timurtaş

Onan, Mustafa Özünal, Fatih Pınar, Yücel Tunca

May 12- July 1 / Karai Art Gallery –Karaköy

Conversations

Karşı Art Gallery

“The Indus to Istanbul: Romani settlement in the Sulukule

neighbourhood since the eleventh

century AD”

Adrian Marsh

MA, Researcher in Romani Studies,

University of Greenwich

April 5, 2007 Thursday 17.30

Hidrellez festival –Ahırkapı model

Kasım Zoto

Armada Hotel Chairman of Board of Directors

April 10, 2007 Tuesday 18.00

From Actor Teams to Sulukule Houses

Gökhan Akçura

April 12, 2007 Thursday 18.00

“Sulukule in The Eyes of Children: What do I love in here?” Photography Workshop

Tansel Atasagun

Painting Workshop in Sulukule

Su Yücel

April 24, 2007 Tuesday 17.30

Social Life in Sulukule after the Demolition Decision

Associate Professor Semra Somersan PhD.

Bilgi University

April 27, 2007 Friday 18.00

A Glance at Istanbul

Antonio Cosentino

Hafriyat Karaköy

May 7, 2007 Monday 18.00

Community Meetings in the District

Community Meetings in the District/ Collective Community Work

Continuing painting of the houses

March 31, 2007 Saturday 13.00

Maltepe Gülsuyu, Gülensu Experience

Solidarity Workshop of Urban Planning

With the participation of Murat Cemal Yalçıntan, Students and District Representatives

Continuing painting of the houses

April 7, 2007 Saturday 14.00

Cultural Heritage and Social Capital: Evaluation on the Future of Sulukule

Assistant Professor Arzu Kocabaş PhD.

In this presentation, the study of the undergraduate students of Urban and Regional Planning Department for the course “Urban Renovation and Urban Transformation” that is being lectured by Assistant Professor Arzu Kocabaş PhD. İn Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts will be explained.

April 21, 2007 Saturday14.00

A Conversation on the Stories and Memories of the District with the Sulukule Community

M. Asım Hallaç, Erdoğan Dalkıran (the owners of the closed entertainment houses),

Ziyaeddin Kul (Sulukule Yaşatma ve Turizm Derneği 1969-1971),

Ali Aşhaş (musician) and other community members

May 5, 2007 Saturday 14.00

Workshops

“Sulukule in The Eyes of Children: What do I love in here?”

Tansel Atasagun photography workshop

Assistant Trainer: Yasemin Karabulut

Place: Sulukule Clubhouse

Every Saturday 13.00

Experimental Music Workshop Sundays

Subject: High participatory, experimental, creative activities for

making and sharing music around certain instruments and

headlines. (Each workshop will also prepare for the Hıdrellez

event with a few pieces of their choice.)

Place: Sulukule Clubhouse

Every Sunday 12.00-15.00

April 1 2007 Clarinet workshop with Serkan Çağrı

April 8 2007 Violin workshop

April 15 2007 Rhythm workshop

April 22 2007 Music workshop with kids

April 29 2007 Music and dance workshop with women

Weaving Workshop, “Good wishes for the spring”

Subject: We need good wishes in our lifes at times. We believe that

we will live beauties in our days to come, with the spring and we

present it with the colors, the materials we used in these weaves.

With 4 stands to be set up in Sulukule and Beyoğlu, we aim for the

participants to create weaves of "Good Wishes for the Spring" in the

size of 40x40 cm, adding to the various objects of their own (hair clip,

chain etc.). After the weaves are taken out of the stands, they will be

exhibited in Hıdrellez and Sulukule.

Place: Sulukule and Beyoğlu event spots

April, Every Saturday and Sunday

“ What kind of a Sulukule, Neslişah, Hatice Sultan?”

Open Space Workshop

Helper: Evren Hacıvelioğlu

Participants : Everyone interested

April 14 11:30-17:00

Sulukule Clubhouse

Painting Workshop with Kids

Nazan Azeri

April 21 2007 Saturday

Fanzine Workshop

Altay Öktem

Sulukule residents' creating their own alternative magazine.

Altay Öktem who has studied the fanzine culture for years,

organized fanzine workshops and opened world's first fanzine

exhibition is organizing a fanzine workshop with the residents

of Sulukule. Just come with the words you want to say, the

feelings you want to express and a few bits of newspaper,

magazine that you have collected from the streets... Paper,

pen, scissors are from us...

April 22 2007 Sunday 13.00

Sulukule Clubhouse

Painting Workshop with Kids and Teens in Sulukule

Nalan Yırtmaç, Fulya Çetin

T-Shirt Workshop, “Sulukule is designing its t-shirt”

Canan Cemile Güner

Sponsors

• Sulukule Organization of Advancement of Roman Culture and Solidarity

• Organization of Human Settlements

• Organization of Reachable Life

• Architects Society, İstanbul Büyükkent branch

• Istanbul Bilgi University, Department Stage and Performance Arts

• Karşı Sanat

• Garaj İstanbul

• Myra Agency

• Çelik Design

• Armada Isolation

• Photography Foundation

• UlisfotoFEST

• İmece, Urban Planning Movement of Society

• Solidarist Planning Workshop

• Arkitera

• Mechanical Engineers Society

• Mimdap

• Hangar Art Club

• Hafriyat

• Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası

• Gevende

• Araf

• Victoria Restaurant

• Artpress

• Duo Music Design

• Stace Home Elektronics

Paint Support

Architects Society İstanbul Büyükkent branch, MIMDAP, İmece,

Urban Planning Movement of Society, Beykoz Initiative,

TÜKODER Üsküdar and Beykoz branches, TÜKODER Istanbul Central Office,

Beylerbeyliler Solidarity Association, Dikmen Valley Sheltering

Rights Bureau, Kuzguncuklular Association, Gülsuyu-Gülensu

Beautification Association and Villagers of Çorum Mecitözü Dağsaray

Association, ŞPO Urban Transformation Commission, Solidarist Planning Workshop,

Boğaziçi Arnavutköylüler Association, Organization of Reachable Life

Coordination and Activity Teams

Aslı Kıyak Ingin, Funda Oral, Belgin Cengiz, Gülden Kalafat,

Hacer Foggo, Şükrü Pündük, Zinnure Türe, Ferzan Aydın

Necati Sönmez, Emel Çelebi, Damla Özlüer, Nilüfer Sönmez,

Aysim Türkmen, Özgür Baykal, Tansel Atasagun, Şehvar

Beşiroğlu, Gonca Girgin, Serkan Çağrı, Serdar Sayın, Eli Haligua,

Mihran Tomasyan, Abdurrahman Sevinç, Ayşegül Kaymakçı,

Derya Engin, Melike Selin Durmaz, Zeynep Karataş, Canan

Cemile Güner, Gökçe Güngör, Duygu Başoğlu, Deniz Duruiz,

Eylem Akçay, Banu Beysüngü, Yusuf Ustaoğlu, Asım Hallaç,

Şenol Yolal, Şener Yolal, Yaşar Ceylan, Mehmet Çalışır, Tamer

Yolal, Yener Yolal, Harun Öğündür, Can Yücel, Merve Akı, Ezgi

Tozar, Bilgesu Şişman, Merve Tabur, Treysi Jebahar, Sidar

Bayram, Alim Miziev, Sevda Hamzacebi, Elif Yurtoğlu, Özlem

Yıldız, Sedef Köklü

We thanks;

Korhan Gümüş, Kasım Zoto, Melih Şabanoğlu, Serhan Ada, Aslı

Aksoy, Şule Ateş, Ayça ‹nce, Mücella Yapıcı, Çelik İngin, Hüsnü

Şenlendirici, Mehmet Ali Alabora, Mustafa Avkıran, Gülbin Yeşil,

Pelin Başaran, Burcu Çavuşoğlu, Begüm Erol, Pelin Tan, Sibel

Çetingöz, Işık Gençoğlu, Ülkü Sarıca, Gökçe Dervişoğlu, Zühre

Güldoğdu, Begüm Özkan, İlker Karagöz, Feride Önal, Selçuk

Erdoğmuş, Kenan Öztürk, Gökhan Akçura, Hasan Kıvırcık, Çelik

Bilge, Belma Kurtişoğlu, Özgür Akgül, İbrahim Yavuz Yükselsin,

Serpil Murtezaoğlu, Hasan Kalafat, Ömer Orhun, Elif Kamışlı,

Nafiz Akşehirlioğlu, Maral Ceranoğlu, Dizem Kaftancı, Yasemin

Karabulut, Altay Öktem, Murat Şahin, Feride Önal, Ercan Koç,

Nalan Yırtmaç , Timurtaş Onan, Mustafa Özünal, Kutup

Dalgakıran, Fehmiye Çelik, Coşkun Aşar, Seyit Ali Ak, Yunus

Emre Aydın, Mehmet Gülbiz, Mehmet Oflazoğlu, Fatih Pınar,

Yücel Tunca, Adrian Marsh, Semra Somersan, Antonio

Cosentino, Murat Cemal Yalçıntan, Arzu Kocabaş, Su Yücel,

Fulya Çetin, Altay Öktem, Evren Hacıvelioğlu, Gül Bolulu, Dizem

Kaftancı, Candaş Baş, Nalan Yırtmaç, Fulya Çetin, Evren

Hacıvelioğlu, Nazan Azeri, Ezgi Cardaktan, Burcu Yıldız, Şirin

Özgün, Erdoğan Dalkıran, Ziyaeddin Kul, Ersu Pekin, Nazım

Alpman, Firuze, Ali Aşhaş for their contribution.