NINE Turkish Cypriot artists who received awards for their contribution to art and culture by the north’s Turkish Bank were outraged to hear the same awards had also been given to former leader Rauf Denktash and have protested by returning their awards.
The nine include prominent Turkish Cypriot painters, poets, musicians and actors deemed to have contributed to the cultural and artistic development of the north.
“I have nothing against Denktash, but he is a politician and not an artist,” painter Ozden Selenge told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
“I am an artist; Denktash is a politician. If I was given an award for my contribution to political life people would be extremely surprised. In the same way, we are surprised that an award for art and culture was given to Denktash.”
The storm over the art and culture awards began a week ago when a number of artists began returning them to the headquarters of the Turkish Bank in Nicosia. By Tuesday the number of returned awards had reached nine.
Denktash has so far not commented on the matter, but his former advisor Ergun Olgun leapt to his defence yesterday telling the Mail, “He [Denktash] is a recognised photographer and an active writer. He has written over 50 books, including his memoirs and books on a variety of social issues.”
“He even wrote a book on how to sustain marriage,” Olgun said. “There are also galleries in Turkey that were established in honour of his photography.
“I think some people in some circles are judging him on his political opinions rather than on the criteria for which he was given the award,” he surmised.
Olgun accused the nine artists of insulting the board at the Turkish Bank, which he described as being made up of “serious people, including writer Bekir Azgin and our top artist Emin Cizenel”.
But the nine artists have branded Denktash’s award as “inappropriate” and accused the Turkish Bank of sycophancy.
Speaking on the bank’s behalf, Ozan Zeki Fikretoglu insisted this was not the case.
“We actually decided to give the award to Denktash back in 1997, but because we knew people would accuse us of seeking favour with the then-president we decided not to give it. It was only after his last term as president ended that we thought it appropriate to give him the award,” Fikretoglu told the Mail yesterday.
Fikretoglu justified Denktash’s award by saying, “This is an award for contribution to cultural research; it is not for his work as an artist”. He added that those who had returned the awards were acting against the concepts and principles of art and accused the nine of seeking to instigate a political campaign rather than make a comment on what is or is not art and culture.
“This is not about art and culture; it is personal,” he said.
But one of the nine artists to return her award Neriman Cahit insisted the protest was not directed against Denktash but against the bank’s decision to give him the award.
“I find it impossible to digest the fact that they have given Denktash an award for his contribution to art and culture. His achievements are not related to art and culture, so I would have been denying my identity as an artist if I had not returned the award.”
Another artist Filiz Naldoven said on returning her award, “It is a conflict between existence and the spirit, between memories and thoughts. There is a discordance of sounds and rhythms. To not have the award becomes the award itself.”
