Organised as a part of 2016 Turkish Summer School, The Sound of Turkish Radio held the first of the Culture Nights festival in Samsun.

Event supported by the Governor of Samsun and Ondokuz Mayıs University, started as the Friendship Truck which was specially designed for 2016 Turkish Summer School arrived Samsun’s Cumhuriyet Square.

60 students from 20 countries who have been attending Turkish language classes at Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University TÖMER, Ankara University TÖMER and Giresun University TÖMER and have been joining cultural excursions as the guests of Yunus Emre Institute, enthusiastically welcomed Friendship Truck at the Cumhuriyet Square.

Following the activities organised by Sound of Turkish Radio with the students at the square, TÖMER Officials of host universities and visiting students went to Omtel Hotel for the “I Compete in Turkish” contest.

“I Compete in Turkish” which includes various performances, activities and competitions started at 7 P.M. with the opening speeches by Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Akan and Yunus Emre Institute’s Head of Turkish Instruction Centre Kerim Sarıgül. Following the screening of promotional videos on Yunus Emre Institute and Turkish Summer School program, the competition between the five summer school students started. In the contest where Busejra Jıldız from Macedonia, Mohamed Moursy from Egypt, Peter Farkas from Hungary, Tilebaldi Uraimzanov from Kirghizia and Haniye Modaber from Iran answered questions on Turkish language, culture, history and art. Hungarian Peter Farkas won the competition by giving correct answers to nine questions out of ten. At the end of the competition, all students were rewarded with specially designed nostalgic radios.

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 enjoyed 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 was waiting got together with Samsun locals to support Turkey.

Together with Turkish Summer School students, Yunus Emre Institute made its mark on democracy meeting which was organised at the Cumhuriyet Square by the Governor and Metropolitan Municipality of Samsun. Democracy meeting which was moderated by the Sound of Turkish Radio presenter Mert Talat Dilekçioğlu and hosted thousands of citizens, started with a speech by Turkish Instruction Centre Director Kerim Sarıgül. Sarıgül commended the 540 students from 46 countries for coming to Turkey without hesitation and fear even though the Turkish Summer School program began just a week after the coup attempt on July 15 and thanked Samsun locals and officials for hosting and welcoming the students.

The event continued with Turkish Summer School students greeting Samsun locals and delivering support messages for Turkey. Later on the students performed a famous song by Aşık Veysel Uzun İnce bir Yoldayım for the people of Samsun. The audience was deeply moved with the performance of Turkish national anthem March of Independence by an Algerian student, who recited the whole poem by heart and showed that he was truly feeling it.

After the hour-long event, students recited prayers, poems and songs to express their support for Turkey. During the course of the Democracy Meeting, Turkish Summer Schools students got together with tens of thousands of locals from Samsun by the Friendship Truck. The program ended with all taking a family photo.