NEW EXHIBIT AT TUTUN DEPOSU DISPLAYS KURDISH ISSUE

Hurriyet Daily News
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A new exhibition on the Kurdish issue opened at the Tutun Deposu
(Tobacco Depot) in Istanbul’s Tophane. The exhibition titled
‘Confrontations: The Other Side of Fýrat’ displays photographs by human
rights defender, journalist and documentary photographer Mujgan Arpat

Having already stirred up controversies in previous exhibitions, the
Tutun Deposu (Tobacco Depot) in Istanbul’s Tophane is now hosting a
striking new exhibition from journalist and documentary photographer
Mujgan Arpat.

Arpat has been following the Kurdish issue for 20 years, and is now
displaying 100 photos chosen from her archive of more than 10,000
photos.

Arpat’s earlier work "Gavur Mahallesi Kalanlar – Gelenler" (The Gioar
Neighborhood Those Who Remain – Those Who Come), which she opened
in 2008 at the Karþý Sanat Calýþmalarý in Beyoðlu, became a hot
issue, too. She displayed the remaining structures from Armenians
in Diyarbakýr. The most striking photo in the exhibition was a
ruined historic Armenian church in the city. The church was put on
a renovation agenda and work began shortly after the exhibition.

She followed the Yeþilyurt case

Speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review about her new
exhibition, Arpat explained why she had chosen the title "Fýrat’ýn
Ote Yanýnda: Karþýlaþmalar" (Confrontations: The Other Side of Fýrat)
rather than "Guneydoðu" (Southeast), saying: "I would create a problem
if I used a word highlighting Kurds. This is why I chose this title. I
observed the experiences in the Southeast, namely the emergency region,
for 20 years. It was too hard to work on the other side of Fýrat. This
inspired me to choose this name."

Arpat is not only interested in journalism and taking documentary
photos. She is also an activist concerned about human rights
violations. She has played active roles in projects regarding racism
and violence against women. She worked as the deputy manager for the
International Human Rights Union in Germany in the 1980s.

In Turkey, where she came to work, she first followed the case known
as the Yeþilyurt Feces Case, which left its mark on Turkey’s recent
history. The Yeþilyurt village of the southeastern district of Cizre
was besieged by the gendarmerie in 1989. It was alleged that Cmdr.

Cafer Tayyar Caðlayan and his soldiers made villagers eat feces.

Following the incident, villagers went to court and as they did not
get results from the process, they applied to the European Court of
Human Rights. In 1994, the state was found guilty and sentenced to
pay compensations.

Victims of mine

"I wanted to take a step with this exhibition," said Arpat, and
continued: "The words that describe what happened in the Southeast are
‘civil war.’ Since one side of me is German, I compare the situation
with Germany. For example, Germany has never described the events in
Afghanistan as war. Because it would take responsibility if it did.

"The most striking photos in the exhibition are the photos of people
who became disabled from land mine explosions. There are one million
land mines laid by both the state and the terrorist organization the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in the Southeast, the other side
of Fýrat. United Nations reports confirm it. The number is obvious
but it is not known where these mines lay," said Arpat, adding:
"I had feared when I went to talk to land mine victims. Because I
knew that there were land mines in the area I passed."

Income of catalog for Human Rights Foundation

Arpat said whatever Turkey had for human rights and racial
discrimination also existed in Europe with a different shape. "But
there is a difference between Turkey and Europe. There is a strong
public opinion supporting human rights defenders. This support is
almost nonexistent in Turkey because society could not overcome of
the fear embedded after the 1980 coup," she said.

According to Arpat, the biggest handicap for Turkey’s European Union
membership is the hypocrite manner of Europe. "The EU behaves like
it backs Turkey’s membership process but this is not true. Turkey’s
inner problems are used by the EU," she said.

Arpat explained her views about the Kurdish initiative lingering in
Turkey’s agenda for sometime. She said, "I don’t believe that the
initiative will be successful."

Arpat’s exhibition will remain open through Feb. 21. The funds raised
by the catalog of the exhibition will be donated to a human rights
foundation. The catalog is available at Anadolu Kultur in Istanbul’s
Elmadað.