TURKCELL REPLY!

Dear Ms Conner Farris,

We have carefully read your letter regarding our roaming commercial and we are sorry to hear that you were offended by the scenario of the film. I want to ensure you that our intentions were never to insult any of our viewers, or the people with African origin. We would like to give you some information about the objective and the background of this advertisement in order to clarify our intent.

As you may know; every advertising has a communication objective. For that particular advertising, we want to communicate that “Turkcell customers can call Turkey wherever they might go, even to the most distant places on earth. Especially now, with attractive prices”.

In order to exemplify “the most distant places”, we chose our setting as the deep Africa jungle. The setting could have been the North Pole with Eskimo’s or the Mongolian desert with Mongolians or Rain Forests with local tribes. As you can imagine, any of these choices could make the point that Turkcell’s services are available across 160+ countries around the world.

As our example setting was deep in the African jungle, we have illustrated a tribal environment. As the story goes, our Turkish group enters a territory without permission and as it would be in anywhere in the world, entering a country or private property without proper permission, you can be held by local security officials. Following their capture, our group is talking about calling Turkey to get help. We assume you would understand that regardless of the setting, anywhere in the world, the above mentioned story would be true.

Non-Turkcell users in the story are hesitating to call Turkey due to high roaming charges. Our Turkcell customer on the other hand carries out conversation worry-free due to Turkcell’s roaming packages. This message is the essence of the commercial. As with many other commercials, it communicates the offer by comparing its benefits side by side with the competitors.

We want to emphasize again, that we never intended to mock or cause any offense to you, nor the people with African origin. Nor, have we communicated that all Africans are living in the jungle under the same conditions. Like most of the movies, TV commercials are also derived from fictious stories and as Turkcell, our inteniton would never be to offend anyone from any race, gender, profession or nationality.

We do hope that the above explanation satisfies you.

Kind regards,

A******* A*******

Marketing Communications Division *****

Turkcell Communications Services

Dear Vodaphone-A Love Letter

Dear Vodaphone,

I have just gotten out of a bad relationship so I’m sure you’ll understand why I’m a bit hesitant to get into another relationship so soon but I’ve been watching you for a while and I like what I’ve seen, so far. I hope you don’t find me too forward but I am the type of woman who goes after what she likes. People have been telling me about you for years, many of my friends like you a lot and they think that we are compatible.

My last beau, Turkcell, was more concerned with exploiting people and perpetuating negative stereotypes than furthering the cause of an informed enlightened world community. How shortsighted and selfish!! We slowly grew apart. I’ve learned (I have my sources, you know) that you are forward thinking and promote diversity. I would love to talk about this further! Is it true that you said your “vision is to have an inclusive culture which respects, values, celebrates and makes the most of the diversity of your people?” That is so attractive to me! You are surely the opposite of my ex! I can’t wait to hear you softly whisper to me your ideology regarding ethical business practices and responsibility-I have chills already! Oh, please don’t think I’m naughty! It’s just so exciting to know you and I look forward to our future together. There definitely is a “world of difference” between you and that irresponsible, unethical creep I spent three years with!

You may ask why it took so long, why I spent so much time in such a destructive, abusive relationship. Well, it wasn’t always like that. In the beginning, Turkcell was a little silly but it was one of the things that I found endearing. Oh, there were promises broken and a few indiscretions but I always looked the other way because I really wanted to make the relationship work. It wasn’t until the “cannibal ad” debacle that I began to see Turkcell in an honest light. Turkcell is now free to go on abusing whomever they choose-without me. Turkcell showed me that they didn’t really care about me, anyway. Yes, I was just another proverbial notch on the Turkcell belt but I feel that you are different. Please tell me that you are different, Vodaphone! I can’t spend my future years in a relationship with another insensitive, irresponsible racist!

Well, I have poured out my heart to you. I hope it wasn’t too much too soon but I get the feeling that we have the same ideals-the same heart.

With all my love,

Aundreta Conner Farris

Bye, Bye Turkcell

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkpv4m_turkcell-ozturkcell-afrika_shortfilms

Dear Turkcell,

Thank you for furthering the cause of ignorance in Türkiye with the airing of your ÖzTurkcell commercial which depicts Turkish people sitting in huge pots in Africa while waiting to be served up for dinner to a group of savage Africans. This was just the image that Türkiye needed at this time as they pursue humanistic efforts in Somalia. In fact, it may have been possible to see the story about Turkish aid in Somalia on the news and then be brought back down to reality with your genius commercial. Good for you, Turkcell! Job well done!

Not only have you succeeded in perpetuating negative stereotypes, you have also made it very difficult for me to watch Turkish television with the fear that I may be insulted over and over by these images. I thank you because I needed to read more, anyway. This commercial has made it a bit more difficult for me to use public transportation and frequent shopping areas and restaurants, too, since children who are already afraid of my dark skin now have confirmation from you that I am waiting for the proper moment to pounce on them and make them my afternoon snack. I needed to walk more, anyway and the money I'll save from not eating out and shopping will come in handy, I’m sure. I also want to thank you for illumining students and teachers who come from African nations, Europe, America and other foreign places to educate and be educated in Türkiye. We were all beginning to suffer from a false dream of security and acceptance from which we needed to be violently awakened. In this vein, I do, indeed, have peace of mind or “kafası rahat,” as you say. What about the home-grown people with African roots, the Afrika Kökenli Türkler? I cannot speak for them but I’m sure that they must appreciate you, too. I like how your commercial seems to indicate a wild abandon and dismissal of the UNESCO 2010 International Year of Rapprochement, which aimed to do something crazy like, integrate “the principles of dialogue and mutual knowledge…in hope of correcting flawed cultural representations, values and stereotypes.” You’re right, Turkcell, that is so last year!! (http://www.unesco.org/culture/pdf/2010/2010_leaflet_en) Anyway, the European Union named Istanbul the European Capital of Culture in 2010, why do you need to pander to UNESCO? I get it, really!

With all of this said, Turkcell, I must say that I have to part company with you. Yes, this is a “Dear John,” or “Dear Turkcell” letter. With all of your success in helping me to read more, walk more, save money and not live in a fantasy of acceptance, I still have this sneaking suspicion that we are growing apart. I know, it’s me, not you. I could say, I want to concentrate on my career, as a proponent of tolerance but that seems a bit too cliche. Yes, I know, you quite enjoy cliche but I’m afraid, it’s over. I need to explore other options, other companies which may not need to exploit people to sell services. Of course, I know you’ll find somebody new to mock but for now, my dear, sweet Turkcell, we’re through.

Warmest regards,

Aundreta Conner Farris (ex-subscriber)

P.S.

Discontinuing the commercial is not enough. You need to publicly apologize. If not to the people of African descent who happily reside in Türkiye, then to the tolerant Turkish people whom you have misrepresented with this offensive commercial and the Afrika Kökenli Türkler with whom you share nationality. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.

P.S.S.

http://www.stevebaric.ws/index.php/2011/09/03/response-to-zaman-zaman-bye-bye-turkcell/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=response-to-zaman-zaman-bye-bye-turkcell

The Beauty of Knowing and Not-Knowing

I've been in Turkey now for seventeen months and everyday is an adventure in knowing and not knowing the language. Today as I was talking with a friend in my only-present-tense, broken Turkish, I searched for the Turkish word for “curious”(merakli) only to resign myself to “kelime gelmiyor”. Which I think means, literally, “word not come”. Just when I had begun to gain a considerable amount of confidence, I had to admit defeat. I have friends whom I have known for months, but from time to time, each has expressed frustration at our inability to successfully communicate. We want to tell each other so much. As time has progressed we have been able to say more, to share more but still language remains a barrier. I find that in this frustration, I am forced to concentrate more on body language, gestures and most of all energy. What I have lacked in linguistic ability, I have gained in my enhanced ability to focus on the essence of my everyday experiences. Although my new Turkish friends and I can not always communicate well with each other linguistically, I know that there is an acceptance and a genuine appreciation. I can see it on their faces and in their eyes. Perhaps language can sometimes actually be an obstacle to true understanding. I have often prided myself as one who is deft at wielding my linguistic sword. I understand the power of words and for most of my life I have been able to use this power to my advantage. But now without tricks and turns of phrase, how do my new friends know that I am witty, pithy and cleaver? Not knowing the language makes me more vulnerable. I have got to trust my instincts more. Not knowing makes me more humble.

Blek Like Me...

I've faced several challenges while teaching speaking and pronunciation in Turkey. My first challenge was trying to overcome my South Carolina accent. The first class I taught at Selcuk University was for the Montana State dual degree program. My students were all Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering students who had been selected to participate in a program that would yield two degrees for them, one from Selcuk and one from Montana State University. Several times during class, after asking students to repeat after me, I realized that I was going to send them to Montana with a unique mix of a Turkish and Southern accent! When I had the opportunity to meet the teachers who would carry the students further toward proficiency, I warned them that the students were coming to them with accents scented with the aromas of their native language, slightly sweetened by the molasses of my not-so-undetectable Southern twang. Fortunately, these students fared well and I am proud to say that most of them have passed the TOEFL or have reached the level of proficiency necessary to be fully admitted into the program.

While dealing with accents, I have noticed that many of the Turkish people I meet have difficulty pronouncing the wider mouth sounds of English like the "ae" in cat and bat, and the "ow" in cow and mouth. The reason for this is that these sounds are not a part of the Turkish language. Turkish is a coy language of soft sounds. I've even had some shy students hold paper or a book up to veil their mouths when I requested from them a particular wide mouthed American English sound or word. Turkish is a pouty, closed mouthed language full of fluid musical sounds. The sound of Turkish is like the susurrus of diaphanous, hand-embroidered curtains which carry the scented smoke of rose and mint from the nargile water pipe to the wind. The sounds of Turkish are not harsh, even the gruff "g" has a softer side. On one hand, it has the familiar aggressive tone we recognize in the words "gas" and "grandiose" but its softer side is the chivalrous soft "g" which serves as a safe passage for a preceding vowel, allowing it to elongate and carry itself across a word as in Ağustos; pronounced "ah OO stōs". For this reason, even an argument in the street, sounds like poetry.

This week, I asked my students to recite poetry that we might work on the rhythm of their speaking. I gave them four very different poems to choose from; Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Nightclub by Billy Collins, Ode to a Lemon by Pablo Neruda and Dream Variations by Langston Hughes. As I listened to each student recite the poem of his (this year my Montana class is all young men) choosing, I found it difficult to not focus specifically on the words of Hughes because I have known that poem by heart since I was ten years old. Focusing on this poem made me reflect on the universality of Blackness. Everyone, regardless of race, will be Black at one time or another if given the opportunity to step away from their familiar context. If one has blue eyes in a culture where blue eyes are considered evil, then that person will experience the Blackness of which Hughes is referring. At some time, one's gender or proclivities may render them Black. For others, it may be their religion or ethnicity. As I listened to student after student, focusing on their rhythm and pronunciation, I couldn't fight the hope that the message would speak to them, on a conscious or unconscious level.

Most of the students who chose to recite Dream Variations, that day, had the characteristic problem with the sound "ae" so instead of saying "Black like me" it sounded more like "Blek like me." Although I tried to be professional and lead them to the proper pronunciation, I couldn't help thinking that the pronunciation was less important than the message. I will, of course, continue teaching them how to differentiate between the "ae" in bat and the short "e" sound in bet, but more importantly, I will focus on whether or not they are conscious of the greater meaning. Pronunciation is important but it is more important to intimately know what you are saying. More than anything, I want my students to meditate on how it feels to "fling" themselves wide against a background that may contrast to their religious, ethnic or cultural spectrum and know what it feels like to rest comfortably in the people that they are becoming.

Becoming Hocam

Before actually beginning my post as a teacher at Selcuk University, I noticed people referring to my host, Gulbun, as hocam, pronounced “ho-jahm,” in English. For some reason, there was something endearing about this word. Maybe it was the way people said it. Hocam is a combination of hoca, a flexible term bestowed upon people who are devout Muslims and /or renowned for their wisdom as teachers, and the possessive suffix. The “m” at the end of hocam denotes possession-not just teacher but MY teacher. The term is reminiscent of Rabbi, which is recognized as the address for Jewish leaders and scholars and is also present in the Bible as an address for Jesus. This knowledge, alone, set the tone for what it would mean to be a teacher in Turkey. In a culture where a teacher is revered as a wise person of spiritual dimensions, I felt and still feel honored each time a student refers to me as hocam. I am honored because with hocam comes a challenge and a responsibility. I am not only responsible for presenting information; I am looked upon as a wisdom practitioner. This ideal is not so foreign to me. I remember referring to some of my teachers with the Dr. So and So that is customary in American academic spaces but thinking of them as more than that. I wish I had been afforded the opportunity to refer to them in the possessive tense; my wisdom teacher, Dr. Sujai, my wisdom teacher, Dr. Hembree, my wisdom teacher, Dr. Neal except in Turkey, students do not refer to their teachers by their surnames, instead they use the teacher's first name followed by hocam. I think using the first name also bridges the relationship between the teacher and student. Instead of referring to a lineage of which the student has no connection, the student calls the teacher by their given name. When I return to the US, I hope that my teachers will allow me to also refer to them with the First name, hocam template of which I've become so accustomed. Not only out of the respect and closeness I feel for them, but because the knowledge they imparted upon me was more than terms in a book. They left me with wisdom for living and a framework for relating with students that was useful for the academic setting in which I found myself.

The academic setting in Turkey is different from what I knew in America. The teacher is the wise one. I’ve even had colleagues regale me with tales of parents who call them to straighten out students who have gotten out of hand because the hocam has the last word. With this in mind, tonight, I am thinking about what it means to be a teacher.

I have spent one year, thus far, as a teacher in Turkey and during this year I have learned as much, if not more than I have taught. In the beginning, when I arrived on the wings of my Fulbright grant, I thought about all that I would teach the students of Turkey. I spent many nights devising my syllabi and making plans for how my classes would be conducted. I was going to share my superior American-educated knowledge with the students of Selcuk. Now, as I embark on another year, I realize that I have learned more about being a teacher than I ever anticipated. Being a teacher means being open to the lessons that come to you everyday. Sometimes the lessons come from the man pushing a cart of old goods (the eskici) or from the students you encounter from day to day. In a class where we discussed the ideal of sacrifice, I cried with a student who shared a story which spanned from her life in an Afghani village to her life as a student in Turkey. When she came of age, there were two children in her family who had the opportunity to attend the university. She and her brother had both been granted the opportunity for a university education but the family could only afford to send one of the children. As she shared the pain of her brother’s sacrifice, I realized that I was experiencing something beyond my initial imaginings of a teacher’s life-I was becoming hocam.

Becoming hocam, for me, means setting aside all of the imaginings that having a Fulbright can do for me. I focus more on being in the moment. Whatever importance should come with this prestigious grant is disregarded as I try, instead to be mindful. This mindfulness means living for the sake of the students I meet everyday. The impressive impact of my CV becomes less important as I meditate on the now. This opportunity is not a stepping stone to another place, being here, now, can allow for deepening of the teaching experience. There are people who have been teachers for a long time but if I had that experience to trade, I would trade 10 years for my one year has hocam because this experience is not about me. How can I think more about them than I do myself? Did I give more today than I did yesterday? Being hocam will not be recognized by any authoritative committee but being hocam means more to me than being recognized.

Afro-Turk Jazz Singer Melis Sokman

While in Ankara for my orientation, I had the pleasure of meeting the famous Turkish jazz singer, Melis Sokman.  As a lover of jazz, it would seem that meeting a famous jazz singer in Turkey would be enough but meeting Melis Sokman was special for more than one reason.  Melis happens to be an Afro-Turk.  As an African American it should not be a surprise that such an encounter would be of particular importance to me.  I have been curious about the Afro-Turkish community since I learned of their existence and meeting Melis has served to add kindling to this burning curiosity.  I am hoping that this meeting will turn into a project that will enable me to share information about the Afro-Turks with people at home.  I am particularly interested in how the legacy of slavery has affected the Afro-Turks differently than it has affected the descendants of the Atlantic slave trade.  Most of the Turkish people that I speak with about the slave trade of the Ottoman Empire emphasize that the brand of slavery that existed in the West is markedly different from the slavery that existed here.  Given the differences, however, how have the Afro-Turks fared in Turkey?  

I am planning to see Melis this week when she performs in Ankara.