Alienated Voices

Episode 25: The life of a Turkmen girl

Today, our guest is Kayra Naz, a Turkmen and Zaza Kurd teenager living in Turkey.  We had a very productive and civil conversation. We discussed some of the existential challenges surrounding the Turkmen communities and how these obstacles can not impede their progress. I realized how intertwined our cultures are with that of Turkmen. We shared very interesting anecdotes about each other's cultures and delved into the wonders of Anatolian tapestry. She mentioned an intriguing and inspiring family tradition passed down for centuries. I really admired her determination to preserve her family traditions and her commitment to celebrating her unique identity. I believe that she is an excellent example of a young culture advocate.

Episode 24: The Dual Heritage of a Jewish-Turkish Woman

Today, my guest is Adiva, a Sephardic Jew from Turkey. My guest today cherishes her dual heritage both from Turkey and the USA. She spoke Ladino at home, a language that intertwined Spanish, Hebrew, and Turkish in the bustling streets of her city. But life was not always easy for Adiva. The remnants of past prejudices lingered, and she often faced discrimination. We exchanged ideas on the complicated situation in Palestine. We conveyed our sentiments about existential crises worldwide and the apathy to combat the issues that matter to human life the most. We tried not to evaluate global incidents from religious, ethnocultural, or emotional perspectives but rather remained politically and emotionally neutral as much as possible.

Episode 23: An Egyptian Muslim Woman’s struggle with hijab in Turkey

Our guest is Alaa, an Egyptian woman living in Turkey. As a final-year medical student studying in Turkey, she described the various challenges she faced as a hijabi woman in Turkey. She said that although Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, she has encountered some people who called her “Syrian” and harassed her physically and verbally just because of her appearance. We discussed Turks' tendency to confuse every Arab with Syrians and associate them with terrorism and threats. We touched upon the hardships of accepting everyone as they are and not discriminating against someone just because of their race or ethnicity. She is a role model for those who have been oppressed in Turkey just because of their religious views.

Episode 22: Discussing the Armenian-Turk Relationship

Our guest is Jirayir, an Armenian-Turk living in Turkey. He was born in Turkey and his family has been living in Turkey for three generations. His grandfather was a victim of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. They escaped death by taking refuge in the western side of Anatolia. He said that when he was a child, he was afraid of speaking Armenian, and his father also did not let him speak Armenian in public. In his business life, he was discriminated against multiple times by Turkish nationalists, and he was also verbally harassed by government officials in many instances. He commented on the debate over the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and offered his perspective on the discussion.

Episode 21: The culture and life of Zaza Kurds

Our guest today was Kayra, a half-Zaza Kurd and half-Turkmen teenager living in Turkey. We discussed some of the prevalent issues facing the Zaza Kurds in Turkey. She mentioned that Zaza Kurds face both political and cultural restrictions for their identities and would like greater freedom in Turkish society. We had an insightful conversation about the role of Zaza Kurds in Turkish culture and society and how their cultural characteristics have evolved over the years. She believes that her minority community must be upheld and respected. She also mentioned some ongoing policies in action to protect and preserve this invaluable community in Turkey.