Children had a memorable day at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo with all amusements laid on. Ghada Abdel-Kader was there What do you do to entertain children on World Children's Day, especially if it underscores your National Day? The Turkish Embassy in Cairo, in cooperation with the Turkish Cultural Centre Yunus Emre, held a day of festivities on 23 April to mark Children's Day. The festival was held in the garden of the Turkish residence. Those children present will treasure it as a lovely day to remember. All the guests were given a warm welcome. The sound of Turkish music permeated all around, and the children seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely as they played and danced. And there was so much to do: face painting; clowns to dance and play with; and shows involving children of all age groups. Dressed in brightly coloured costumes, they looked like real artists. The festival began with a Turkish chorus singing tuneful traditional songs. Their voices were angelic. The Turkish ambassador in Egypt, Hèseyin Avni Botsali, welcomed the guests. "We thought it would be interesting to hold it for the first time in Cairo. We usually, celebrate [the day] within the Turkish community, but this year we have opened it to the Egyptian community. Six international schools from Egypt are presenting their music with their families, teachers and 500 other people." Botsali said he really hadn't expected the occasion to be such fun, but since "everybody is happy, we will repeat it every year, everybody seems so happy. Thus, we will repeat it every year." Among the participating schools in the festival were the Oasis International School; the Sadat City Language School; the Salah Al-Din Turkish School; the Smart International School and children's groups from the embassies of Sudan and Malaysia; while one group of the children came all the way from Turkey to perform national songs and dance. Nevine Refaat, a teacher from the Oasis International School whose group presented the opening show of the festival, said the show was about different countries from all over the world: Egypt, Spain, France, Russia, India and Japan. Each group of students is presenting popular dance and costumes from home," she said. The cultural counsellor of the Sudanese Embassy in Egypt, Ibrahim Adam, said children of all ages from the Sudanese community in Egypt took part in the festival, presenting a picture of the folklore pertaining to the various cultures in Sudan. "It also reflects the unity of Sudan," he said, in an oblique reference to the political situation there. The Smart International School entered students in primary levels three, four and five, who put on Egyptian cultural dances from Pharaonic to folklore. "The students will be singing afterwards," the artistic director, Amany Momtaaz, told Al-Ahram Weekly. For the Turks 23 April is a very important day, as it marks the time at the end of World War I when modern Turkey emerged from the ashes of the autocratic empire that preceded it. "23 April 1920 is the foundation day of the Turkish Grand National Assembly which means that the republic and rule by the people started on that day." Botsali told the Weekly. "Later on, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatèrk, made a gift of this state to the children. Since then, we have celebrated our national day of sovereignty and children. In 1979 UNESCO declared 23 April as World Children's Day, and since 1979 we have celebrated it as an international festival." The first counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo, Said Altinok, added that celebrating the day alongside Egyptian children "sent a message of love, cooperation and living together in peace." So how do they celebrate the day in Turkey? "In Turkey, children take over the seats of the government for a day. Some 50,000 children from over the world have visited the Grand National Assembly and the head of state." Botsali said. "Then they go south to the town of Antalya to hold celebrations, and every country sends a group of children to perform their culture, music and dance." Commenting on the cooperation between Egypt and Turkey, Botsali said: "The sky is our limit. Opening all the doors to cultural, musical, economic and commercial cooperation is growing greater. Turkish investments are growing in Egypt: 50,000 Egyptian families are working in Turkish factories in Borg Al-Arab, near Alexandria and 10 Ramadan city with the help of your government. We have built new industrial towns, and we are working hand in hand with Egypt. We have entered a new phase of cooperation for a more prosperous future." On 8 May the Turkish spring Charity Bazaar will take place, also in the Turkish residence garden. This is a charitable activity for which Turkish products will be donated. Turkish food and music will be featured throughout the day, starting at 10am and finishing at 5pm. The takings will be split between Turkish orphans, and the Children's Cancer Hospital in Cairo, Botsali adds.
