Turkish culture in the Balkans continues to be passed down through generations
Turkish Culture and Heritage Foundation (TÜRKSOY) Deputy Secretary General Sayit Yusuf has said that Turkish culture, which has maintained a presence in the Balkans since the Ottoman period, continues to be passed from one generation to another through language, literature, theatre, music and the arts.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Yusuf highlighted the longstanding cultural heritage of Turkish communities across the Balkans, particularly in Prizren, where cultural and artistic activities continue to play a role in preserving the Turkish language, literature and cultural identity.
Prizren remains a centre of cultural activity
Yusuf described the Balkans as an integral part of the Turkic world and said TÜRKSOY would continue expanding its cultural activities in the region.
Pointing to Prizren's strong cultural and artistic tradition, Yusuf said the city has developed a distinctive cultural environment over decades.
“Almost every Turk you encounter on the street here is either a poet, a novelist, a theatre practitioner or a painter,” Yusuf said, describing the city as a major centre of cultural activity.
He also highlighted Prizren's reading culture and the role of Turkish-language cultural activities in maintaining the language among younger generations.
“The Balkans are indispensable to the Turkic world”
Yusuf said the Balkans constitute one of the important centres of the broader geographical area where Turkish culture and civilisation have developed.
He compared the different regions of the Turkic world to parts of a single body, saying that the Balkans, alongside Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions where Turkic languages are spoken, form an important part of this wider cultural landscape.
According to Yusuf, the interest shown by children and young people in cultural and artistic activities in the Balkans provides confidence that this heritage will continue into the future.
Theatre and literature help preserve Turkish
Yusuf said cultural activities in the Balkans should not be viewed simply as individual events or professional projects.
He pointed to theatre, literature and other performing and cultural arts as important channels through which Turkish language and cultural identity continue to be expressed.
Referring to productions at the Turkish Theatre in Skopje and literary works produced by Turkish-speaking cultural figures in the region, Yusuf said these activities contribute to maintaining Turkish cultural identity.
He argued that without such cultural activities, the Turkish language could have faced a much greater risk of disappearing in some parts of the region.
Yusuf also said the continued vitality of Turkish culture in the Balkans was closely connected to the importance communities place on theatre, literature and the arts.
“As long as they live, we will live”
Yusuf described the relationship between Balkan Turks and the wider Turkic world as similar to a family connection, stressing the importance of maintaining the region's Turkish cultural presence.
“As long as they exist, we will exist. As long as they can breathe freely, we will breathe freely,” Yusuf said, emphasizing the importance he attaches to the survival of Turkish culture in the Balkans.
He added that Turkish culture in the Balkans should not be understood solely as the culture of ethnic Turks, but also as part of the shared cultural heritage of the wider communities living in the region.
Yusuf said the cultural heritage of Turkish communities in the Balkans had survived numerous challenges in the past and expressed confidence that Turkish culture would continue to be preserved and transmitted to future generations.
