"Turkish Schools Will Change Africa's Misfortune"
Students graduated from Turkish schools opened in different countries throughout the world came together in the "Towards global peace" themed iftar dinner organized by the Foundation of Journalists and Writers.
Speeches in Turkish made by the students moved those who attended the iftar dinner.
Sali Hairulla who graduated from the Philippines Turkish High School in 2001 said that he thought the Turks were Arabs before he started at the Turkish school. Hairulla said, "I had no idea about the Turks. I used to think that Turks were Arabs and Turkey was an Arab country," and now when the Turkish nation is mentioned, the first thing to come to his mind is education. Hairulla who studied Physical Training Teaching at Mindanao State University in his country is now studying Turkish in Turkey. Hairulla stated that he will return to his country after completing his language education and start teaching in the the Turkish High School he graduated from.
Another student that took part in the iftar dinner is Ahmet Kamau, a graduate from Isik Turkish High School in Nairobi Kenya. Ahmet Kamau studying at the Faculty of Medicine at Ankara University emphasized that his ancestors in Africa suffered extremely bad and troublesome times said "Africa will smile and its misfortune will change thanks to the Turkish schools. These schools smell of love and peace." Kamau, who expressed that he knew nothing of the Turkish nation and he saw only the name of Ottomans in history books before he started studying at the Turkish school, also said that he will return to his country after having graduated from the university and make efforts to develop the friendship between Turkey and Kenya.
Maksat Kosaev graduated from the Turkish High School in Kyrgyzstan in 1996 and studied at Istanbul University Economics Department. Kosaev received his master's degree in management from Marmara University and is now a candidate of PhD in management at Bursa Uludag University. Kosaev spoke at the dinner as follows: "Coming together with friends from different countries of the world and speaking the same language gives you different feelings. When I saw friends coming from Kambodia to Kenya, I felt more pride for having studied at a Turkish school." Bosnian Edin Osmonovic graduated from the Turkish high school in Bosnia in 1995. He is now studying his final year at Bogazici University Tourism Department. "If everybody were like the Turks, there would be no war in this world. I saw peace, friendship, hospitality and love in Turkey," said Osmonovic.
Foundation of Journalists and Writers Chairman Harun Tokak evaluated the iftar program as a huge step taken on behalf of global peace. Tokak went on to say, "The reason for organizing such a program was the coming together of valuable people from Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and other countries. These people come to see what they can take back to their countries from Turkey in the name of peace and tolerance. Therefore, they adopt schools there as if they were their own schools." (Tuncer Cetinkaya, Istanbul)
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