Exploring Nigerian Turkish Cultural Ties

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Residents of the Federal Capital Territory were recently given a glimpse into the glitter of the culture of the Turkish people at the fourth edition of the Nigerian Turkish Friendship and Cultural Festival. Organized by the Ufuk Dialogue Foundation in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, the objective of the annual festival is to promote tolerance among Nigerians and to expose them to Turkish culture. This is particularly essential in the light of the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral relations between Nigeria and Turkey in recent times.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke in his opening address said the festival has now become a platform to present the warm relations between the two countries. Represented by the Director of Culture, Mr. George Ufot, Duke added that the relations has become a catalyst for more Turkish investments in Nigeria, especially by the Surat Group.

“I have been privileged to visit Turkey, a beautiful land standing between the East and Western Europe, a land of peace, tolerance, multiculturalism and high technological development. We definitely have so much to share from the way you have effectively mobilize your citizenry to foster interfaith and inter cultural dialogue through education, information exchange and respect for your environment and diversity,” Duke said.

The Chairman of First Surat Group, Mr. Hilmet Gohan in his welcome address said the key to peaceful co-existence remain understanding, tolerance, dialogue and respect for each other. This, he said remain the ideals of the Ufuk Dialogue Foundation.

The Ufuk Dialogue Foundation was founded in 2011 in Nigeria with the mission to foster interfaith and intercultural dialogue, stimulate thinking and exchange of opinions on supporting and fostering democracy and peace all over the world and to provide a common platform for education and information exchange. The foundation has also organized language festivals, peace and conflict resolution debates among other things.

At the festival, the audience were treated to dances from different Nigerian cultures by children of Turkish origin. Masquerades from Igbo culture were also on ground to entertain the guests who also got the chance to taste several Turkish delicacies.