Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Bildt takes part in the UN Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) meeting in Istanbul, 6-7 April
Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Bildt heads the Swedish delegation at the Alliance of Civilizations Forum (AoC) in Istanbul 6-7 April. The Forum is the result of a Spanish-Turkish initiative in 2005, aiming at building bridges between cultures, especially between Western and Muslim societies. Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan, the Spanish president Zapatero and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will speak at the opening.
Conductor Jan Risberg visits Istanbul March 30-April 5
Conductor Jan Risberg, Sonanza, visits Istanbul 30 March-5 April. He will, among other things, rehearse with the Mimar Sinan Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and give lecture to the students. The visit is a part of the cooperation, which began in 2005, between Rikskonserter and Borusan Kültür & Sanat with the aim to establish a long-term cooperation in the music field.
Astrid Lindgren’s Children’s Book and Cultural Center in new premises in Diyarbakır – inauguration 11 April
Astrid Lindgren’s Children's Books and Culture Center, which opened in Diyarbakır in 2006, has moved to new premises in the center of old town. The adress is Cevat Paşa Mah. Yardımcı sok. Nr: 14 Diyarbakır. Tel: 0412 223 85 60.
To mark the move, the Kurdish Cultural Foundation in Stockholm arranges a seminar on bilingualism on Saturday 11 April at Hotel Miroğlu in Diyarbakır. Salih Ince, president of the Kurdish Cultural Foundation, lector Tore Otterup from Gothenburg University and the author Mülkiye Birtane will participate at the seminar. The seminar is supported by the Swedish Institute.
Inside Istanbul – five Turkish writers at Södra teatern 18 April
Highlighting the magazine Karavan’s special issue on Turkish literature (nr 1 2009), the magazine, in collaboration with the Consulate General and the Friends of the Swedish Research Institute arranges a literary afternoon at Södra Teatern 18 April at 13.00-16.30.
The participating authors are Aslı Erdoğan, küçük Iskender, Murathan Mungan, Ayfer Tunç and AhmetÜmit. Moderator is Gabriella Ahlström and interpreter Refik Şener.
Jay-Jay Johansson at Ghetto in Istanbul 18 April
The producer and artist Jay-Jay Johanson gives a concert at Ghetto in Istanbul April 18. His music can be described as indie/electronic/triphop. Johanson has many fans in Turkey and his popularity rises after each concert.> Ghetto
Professor Mithat Sancar holds a lecture at the Swedish Research Institute 21 April
On April 21 at 19.00, professor Mithat Sancar, Ankara University, gives a lecture at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul. The institute’s thematic spring lectures is on Amnesia, remembrance and identity formation in republican Turkey. Professor Sancar’s lecture will be in Turkish.
The poet Håkan Sandell at the Istanbul Poetry Festival 21-26 April
The Swedish poet Håkan Sandell will participate at IV. International Istanbul Beyoğlu Poetry Festival21-26 April. He was born in 1962 in Malmö and has been living outside Sweden for the last 15 years, mainly in Copenhagen and Oslo. His latest collection of poems, published in March this year are entitled "Gyllene Dagar” (“Golden Days") (Published by Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm 2009).
Literature News
For the first time ever, the literary magazine Karavan publishes a special issue on contemporary Turkish literature with novels and essays written by Ayfer Tunç, Aslı Erdoğan, Murathan Mungan and Orhan Pamuk, an extract from a “policier” by Ahmet Ümit and poems by Orhan Veli and küçük Iskender.
To highlight with Karavan’s special issue, a literary afternoon will be organized at Södra teatern on April 18 at 13.00-16.30.
Citizens without Boundaries 2007-2008 a Documentation has just been published. It is a report of the public dialogues organized in Istanbul and Diyarbakir, by Citizens without Boundaries, with Ingrid Rasch and Andreas Karlsson as "creative producers." The book is in English and Turkish and can be obtained from the Consulate General.