“Istanbul is divided by time, not space. The first Istanbul is the Istanbul of the past. A long time ago, during the empire, it was beautiful, it was the glorious time of our nation, people say. Then, when they talk about today, they complain about it: It's very melancholic, it's very stressful. We've lost our golden age in the past, and now we're living in our dark era.” PeopleLongAgeTodayPastBeautifulDarkComplainingGloriousStressful Author:Burhan Sonmez
“People feel that the beauty of the Istanbul is something we used to have in the past or something we will have in the future. But we have that beauty today, too, in the mixture of past and future. We have to save it today and we have to enjoy it today.” PeopleTodayPastEnjoy Author:Burhan Sonmez
“When people are not in a prison cell they believe they are free and happy. That's not true. Because in Istanbul, the modern person wakes up at 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock in the morning, gets on the bus for two hours to get to work, works at least ten hours, sometimes twelve or fourteen, then comes back home, just to make some money to pay for rent and food. That's not a human being's life. That's the life of a worm in the earth. That's the life of an insect.” PeopleBelieveSometimesHomeEarthHoursMorningModernWake UpPrisonBus Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Laughter is something we have against oppression and oppressive people. Dictators hate people who laugh at them. It's easy for them to destroy people who resist them. But if you create jokes against them, write funny poems or articles against them, then they feel helpless and desperate. They can't do anything.” PeopleWritingHateEasyLaughingLaughterJokesOppressionDesperateDictatorHelplessHate People Author:Burhan Sonmez
“When you go from one part of the Turkish community to another, it's like you're moving from one century to another. People look at each other in a strange way, as if looking at someone from another planet, rather than trying to understand and open space for them.” PeopleTryingMovingCommunityStrangeLike YouTurkish Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Some people are like a defeated warrior: they accept the defeat, go to work, go back home, watch TV silently. That is like a prison. You can have a life sentence in prison and it's the same in cities.” PeopleHomeAcceptingPrisonDefeatWarriorDefeated Author:Burhan Sonmez
“"Culture" is a new phenomenon, I believe. Culture is the new religion. People treat you based upon your culture. You are pushed to describe yourself by your culture: Kurdish or Turkish? Left wing or right wing? Progressive or conservative? Westerner or Easterner? European or Asian? So we have a label ready for you.” PeopleBelieveCultureI BelieveConservativeBeing YourselfPhenomenonProgressiveRight WingLeft WingTurkish Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Someone might say about a person, "Oh, they are a 'Westerner." But who are Westerners? Greek, Bulgarian, German, English, Scandinavian, Spanish, American, Latin. All different nations, all different people. Different individuals live in the West. There's no such thing as "West" just as there's no such things as "East." What is "East?" Turkey, Iran, China, India, Japan. They are all different. They are all unique.” PeopleDifferentIndividualUniqueGreekLatin Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Maybe divisions like that are easy for people to accept, because then you don't have to make an effort to understand people or appreciate each of them. You just give them a general name: "black people" and "white people." "Tall people" and "short people." "Man" and "woman." But we have to forget about all those terms. Every individual is unique in herself or himself.” PeopleMenGivingIndividualEasyBlackTermForgetEffortAcceptingUniqueMen And WomenAppreciateBlack People Author:Burhan Sonmez
“So many academics have been imprisoned or expelled from their university posts just because they signed a letter calling for peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. They are all declared enemies of the state by the president. Just because they published a letter saying, "stop killing each other and begin talking for a peaceful resolution." That kind of intolerance from the government towards the rest of society - especially people in favor of freedom of speech, human rights, and more democracy for everyone - is a very important issue in Turkey.” PeopleKindImportantPresidentEnemyDemocracySolutionsKillingHuman RightsPeacefulResolutionIntoleranceFreedom Of Speech Author:Burhan Sonmez
“I believe Tunisia and Egypt should look to Turkey and see what not to do. Turkey seems to be a secular and democratic country but it is only a show. We are losing the effectiveness of democratic institutions like parliament and judiciary. They now are turning into tools for the benefit of a president-ordering system. A democratic government is possible only on a comprehensive democratic base surrounded by the participatory action of ordinary people.” PeopleBelieveCountryActionI BelieveLosingDemocraticSecularOrdinary PeopleJudiciary Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Syrian people have right to fight for democracy and freedom in their country but they don't need the penetration of foreign elements, fundamentalist ideologies and violence.” PeopleCountryFightingDemocracyViolenceIdeologyFundamentalist Author:Burhan Sonmez
“Turkey are the independent people. We are our own nation in this world - a nation of writers, journalists, artists, moviemakers, and academics. We act together. If there is a problem, we act to correct it.” PeopleWorldProblemTogetherArtistIndependentJournalist Author:Burhan Sonmez