Hundreds attend Turkish food festival in South Africa

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - Hundreds of South Africans attended the Turkish Day and food festival held in Johannesburg over the weekend aimed at promoting Turkish culture.

Abdulaziz Yigit, director of the Yunus Emre Institute, said the event was organized by the institute under the auspices of the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria.

“During the event, Turkish cuisine, desserts, Turkish tea and coffee, Turkish courses, Turkish handicrafts and archery were introduced, which attracted great interest,’’ Yigit told Anadolu Agency.

The event was attended by Turkish ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş, representatives of the embassies of Azerbaijan and Iraq and the Kazakh ambassador as well as their families.

During the colorful event attended by hundreds of guests, Zainab Moolla, a Turkish language student at the Yunus Emre Institute, read Yunus Emre's poem "Ben Yürürüm Yana Yana" both in Turkish and English.

Another Turkish language student, Danae Issel, sang the song "Sen Çal Kapımı.”

Meanwhile, a South African choir, the Sweet Voices Chorale choir group, sang Yunus Emre's poem ''Bana Seni Gerek Seni'' and a famous song “Üsküdar'a gider iken.”

South African Turkish language students of the Yunus Emre Institute wore costumes of Yunus Emre, Nasrettin Hodja, Karagöz and Hacivat while introducing these important personalities to the South African audience.

- Türkiye’s beauty photo exhibition

The organizers also held a photo exhibition showcasing Türkiye’s charms. The South Africa segment of the “Türkiye’s charms” photo exhibit began on May 26, 2022 in the capital Pretoria.

The photo exhibition has been displayed in Türkiye for a while, including at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, and abroad under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

“The photography exhibition will continue at the Yunus Emre institute in Johannesburg throughout June,’’ Yigilt said.

Several Turkish companies and organizations participated, including Defy and International Maarif Schools - South Africa.