The Turkish Children's Peace Train
The Children's Peace Train is an important model for building Children's Peace Trains in other countries around the world and especially in the region, where hundreds of millions children are being threatened from the ongoing conditions of war and conflicts. As a result of instability in the region and possible results of the Iraq war, millions of children in the neighboring countries as well as Turkey are living under the horrible effects of war. Being the children of a very strategic country, Turkish children have witnessed many wars in and between their neighbors in the last decades, although Turkey didn't even take part in the 2nd World War. Turkey is unique, not only for being a bridge between Asia and Europe with its centuries old cultural mosaic, but also for being the Islamic world's first and only secular country, having no official religion and a 98% Muslim population. Turkey's 71 million population enjoys equal rights under the constitution and 40% of them are under the age of 15. In the rich cultural mosaic of Turkey, Anatolia has been the land of many different groups since prehistoric times. Turkey's strategic position and fertility of land has attracted people from different origins all through history, and they have lived in peace for centuries. Turkey is a country with more than 50 ethnical groups living in the unity of Anatolia and in peace from the beginning of its foundation for the last 80 years.
Turkey is also the only country around the world which has a National Day for children The founder of The Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, dedicated April 23 to the children, showing how valuable and important they are to the future of a nation. April 23 is the National Sovereignty and Children's Day in Turkey. In history, April 23, 1920 was the day, during the war of independence, when Great National Assembly met in Ankara for the first time and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire after the 1st World War. As another show of giving importance to the future generations, May 19 is also dedicated to youth and accepted as the National Youth Day. Every year, the children of Turkey celebrate this national holiday by sending their representatives to replace state officials including the President in their offices. The President, Prime Minister, members of the Cabinet, Governors, Parliamentarians in The Grand National Assembly turn over all their positions to the representatives of children, who sign executive orders relating to educational, environmental and many more policies. They also hold a special session to discuss matters concerning childrens issues in the National Assembly on this day. In the last 20 years, Turkey has been trying to internationalize this important day of children and many countries around the world send groups of children to participate in the celebrations. Foreign children participating in the special session of The Grand National Assembly every year can have the important result of children's international commitments to peace and friendship. This should be the dream of the whole world. In 1992 UNICEF recognized April 23 as International Children's Day.
The Turkish Children Peace Train took its first steps in February- March 2003 after the call of the World Children's Peace Train Project and Professor Jeremy Seligson. But we prefer to make our essential call to more than 100 schools around the country, especially on the Turkish Children's National Day Week, April 23, 2003. The project gained important participation from schools, art teachers and children around the country. Many of the children, insisted on drawing peace ships instead of trains, in Istanbul where the project began. Insisting on painting peace ships, may be natural for the children of a country surrounded by sea on all three sides. Sun also takes place as a common factor in many paintings. Another interesting factor in the work of children is; drawing "B", the first letter of "baris" wich means "peace in Turkish, in the shape of a "heart". Most of the pictures deal with issues of the Iraq war as well as World Peace, as they were witnessing the scenes of the war on TVs everyday around the clock. Reflecting on the horrors of war on children of the neighboring country they witnessed on TVs, their desires for an immediate peace takes an important place in their paintings as well as does nature and the beauty of living with the harmony of nature.
As being a natural bridge between continents, the Turkey's Children's Peace Train will be a natural conductor between cultures and societies. The World Children's Peace Train Project which began in Korea, Asia, is stopping at many stations in Middle Eastern countries and in Turkey, will go on to Europe with all the countries childrens precious art works expressing their images and ideas of peace, happiness and joy in their personal lives and around the world. The Turkish Children's Peace Train is a very new project yet. As the project takes steps around the country our first aim is presenting to each child a certificate for their participation in the Peace Train. We also want to show our respect and send a certificate to the schools which take part in the project. In time, when The Turkish Children's Peace Train gets ready and has enough participation, our goal is to display it in an exhibition. As some of the Children's Peace Trains have already been exhibited at The UNESCO-sponsored Asian-Pacific Forum for Inter-Religious Reconciliation and Peace, held in Seoul in December, 2002. We hope to present our first exhibition during the IFLAC International Peace Conference which will held in Bursa, Turkey at October. During the Conference we are also planning a Peace Train work-shop and a mini global Peace Train Conference. We are waiting for schools and art teachers participating to the project as the conductors of The Turkish Children's Peace Trains. In the meantime, Children's Peace Trains are being constructed in Sri Lanka, India, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Palestine, Arabic countries and the U.S.A. Our greatest dream and hope for all the children of the world is that the Children's Peace Train's journey will pass through mountains, valleys, rivers, forests, oceans and visit all the countries, showing peace and joy of life around the world through the childrens eyes and creations with their songs and poems. We invite you to our dream of The Turkish Children's Peace Train, with the great Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet's words...
To live like a tree, lonely and free
To live as brothers like trees in a forest,
That dream is ours!
And we make our call to the world with his great poem;
Let's give the world to the children just for one day
like a balloon in bright and striking colours to play with
let them play singing among the stars
let's give the world to the children
like a huge apple like a warm loaf of bread
at least for one day let them have enough
let's give the world to the children
at least for one day let the world learn friendship
children will get the world from our hands
they'll plant immortal trees
Çagimizin savas, siddet, çevre kirliligi ve fakirligin tehditi altindaki dünyasinda, çocuklar; tüm bu sorunlardan en çok etkilenen ve dünyaya bakislarini, algiladiklarini en yalin ve net sekilde ortaya koyabilen dünya nüfusunun en büyük kesimini olusturuyorlar. "Dünya Çocuklari Baris Treni Projesi" bu düsünce çerçevesinde dogmus, dünyanin çesitli ülkelerinde halen devam ettirilmekte olan, UNESCO gibi bir çok uluslarasi kurulusun destegini almis olan bir projedir. Baris trenleri; çocuklarin agirlikli olarak resim olmak üzere, kolaj veya kendi tercih edecekleri herhangi bir sanat dali vasitasiyla "baris" hakkindaki düsüncelerini ortaya dökmeleri ile olusturulacaktir. Dünyamizin en büyük ortak ihtiyacinin dostluk ve baris oldugunu ve bunu gerçeklestirecek olanlarin dünya nüfusunun büyük kismini teskil eden çocuklarimiz oldugunu gözönüne alarak sizi projemizde yer almaya davet ediyoruz. Çocuklarin baris trenlerinin tüm dünyanin dag, tepe, orman ve ovalarini, sarki ve siirleriyle vahsi çiçekler gibi asmasi dilegiyle.
for further information
contact:
ilkinsungu@yahoo.com
Turkish
Peace Train Gallery
