Seyit Ahmet Aytaç
October 14, 2018•Update: October 15, 2018
By S. Ahmet Aytac
ANKARA
Recent decades have seen a rising awareness in Turkey of Africa, said Mehmet Gulluoglu, the head of Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), on Sunday.
“There has been a growing awareness of Africa in Turkey for the last 20 years,” Gulluoglu told an Africa summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, held at the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation’s (TDV) women, family and youth center.
“Especially with the rising number of our embassies [in Africa] under the state's leadership. This process is continuing with the help of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency [TIKA] activities in the region and the humanitarian aid activities of other NGOs such as the Turkish Red Crescent, TDV and Humanitarian Relief Foundation [IHH]. Each of these are good beginnings, but we need to fill in the gaps.”
He added: “First we started our activities with the heart, and aid groups, then came diplomatic relations, and later commercial relations followed.”
“I think [Turkey’s] African outreach and diplomatic relations will grow much deeper when there are people who say they want to specialize in this field and study Africa,” he said.
'Most Africans were Muslims'
At the event, various speakers shared their knowledge, experience, and vision with the audience, most of whom were university students.
As host, Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) head Mehmet Savas Polat stressed that some two centuries ago, 80 percent of the African population was Muslim.
“With the help of our generous people, our NGOs provide sincere support to the African people. We are doing very great work with very small funds with an outpouring of sincerity. Maybe this isn’t fully felt at the moment but in the future it will be seen much more clearly," Polat said.
“The TDV has some great projects in Africa,” he continued.
“We have a sister city project in some African capitals, and we’re building large mosques like an Islamic-Ottoman style complex which is suitable for Ottoman architecture and heritage. We have educational activities in Africa, and aid programs especially during [the Muslim holy days of] Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha.”
The TDV brought nearly 650 African students to Turkey to educate them at religious imam hatip schools, with all housing and expenses covered, he added.
Quest for justice
Stretching back to his days as prime minister, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited 27 African countries, making him the global leader who is best-traveled in Africa, said Tubanur Sonmez, an advisor to Erdogan.
Africans “have been colonized for hundreds of years, and had their resources confiscated, and more importantly,” their mentalities have “been battered,” she said.
They are “gradually undergoing a transformation process. But this won’t be easy, it will take time," she added.
"Turkey’s goal in Africa is to break the vicious cycle and transform it into justice. If we can do that with our state’s hard work, as well as NGOs and our people’s help, we will be blessed," Sonmez said.
"We need to take a total approach to our African policies. State institutions, the business world, and future visions should be evaluated together," she added.
Sonmez also mentioned that, “Without taking, giving is just for Allah” proverb in Africa turned into, “Without taking, giving is just for Allah and Turks”.
Africa has deep historical and cultural ties with Turkey dating back to the Ottoman period. For the past 15 years, strong cultural, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian ties have developed between Africa and Turkey.
The natural resources of the continent, its geographical location, an important youth population and other factors make it an important stakeholder in the world's economy.
