Event organised in Sakarya on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Drama immigrants to the city
In Sakarya, an exhibition of cultural values was opened and speeches were made in the event organised on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Drama immigrants to the city.
It has been 100 years since those who left the village of Ravika in Drama on 6 May 1924 on the ship named "Gülnihal" during the Türkiye-Greece population exchange came to Serdivan district.
Within the scope of the programme organised by the Serdivan Mübadilleri Association, the Holy Qur'an and Mevlid-i Şerif were read at the Kemalpaşa Central Quarter Mosque, and an exhibition of cultural values was opened at the event venue in Kemalpaşa Quarter.
Speaking at the programme after a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, Governor Yaşar Karadeniz said that these days and this homeland were provided to them by those who suffered and made great sacrifices in history.
Stating that the exchange 100 years ago was also a part of this, Karadeniz said, "You leave your land where you were born, grew up and lived and move to another place, this is not an easy thing. You keep the spirit of 100 years ago alive here today by preserving your unity and solidarity. I believe that it is very important to transfer this to tomorrow's generations as well as living today, because if they know what happened, if they learn the difficulties, they will learn the value of their today and tomorrow better."
AK Party Sakarya Deputy Ertuğrul Kocacık noted that their ancestors, who left their homeland behind and took refuge in the bosom of Anatolia during this period, left behind traces that will never be forgotten.
Explaining that their flag-loving ancestors had to face thousands of difficulties with the love of homeland in their hearts and had to leave their homes, villages and lands, Kocacık said: "However, the love for the flag in their hearts never faded or diminished for a moment. While they were struggling to build a new life for their children, grandchildren and future generations, they never gave up on their homeland. Today, it is an honour and pride for us to keep their memory alive and commemorate their loyalty to their flags in these lands entrusted to them."
Mayor of Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality Yusuf Alemdar stated that every square metre of this land has the blood of thousands of martyrs.
Alemdar emphasised that the stories of the elders who set out to return to their homeland by getting rid of persecution, oppression and torture with tears during the exchange should not be forgotten and said, "I think it is right to carry out these activities more frequently and in a full way so that we do not forget. We should definitely tell our children every moment, every second, both the sadness and the joy of those days that our elders lived. In order not to break those ties, we should carry our cultural activities and traditions to the future together."
Osman Çelik, Mayor of Serdivan Municipality, stated that everyone witnessed the difficulties experienced during the migration process and that as the municipality, they stand by non-governmental organisations and associations of compatriots.
Aydın Cıngır, President of Serdivan Mübadilleri Association, said that they gathered 100 years ago to commemorate the migration of Turks from the Balkans to the homeland, the exchange.
Stating that they established the association in order to keep the migration of their ancestors 100 years ago fresh in their minds and to research their own culture and transfer it to young people and future generations in the right way, and that they appeared before the public with such an activity for the first time on the 100th anniversary of the exchange, Cıngır said, "We are honoured and happy to share the beauties of our culture and our people with you."
After the speeches, a folk dances show and a local artist concert were performed.
