Photojournalists preserve Gezi resistance for posterity
ISTANBUL
The book, titled ‘Through the Eyes of Journalists: Resistance and Gezi Park Photographs,’ includes photographs taken by 21 photo journalists during the events
As 2013 comes to a close in Turkey, a new book has been released to remember the year’s most important event, the Gezi resistance, the impacts of which are still continuing in the country.The newly released book, titled “Through the Eyes of Journalists: Resistance and Gezi Park Photographs,” includes photographs taken by 21 photo journalists during the events.
The photography editing was undertaken by one of the best names in the field of photography in Turkey, Coşkun Aral. Aral, who has been to “more war zones than one can count,” spent close to a week meticulously selecting photographs, ultimately choosing almost a thousand photos.
The Gezi events were a rebellion against “patriarchy and matriarchy,” Aral said in a forward to the book.
“The youth, who until today, had seen others speak for them with megaphones, found themselves at the door that would introduce them to all of the values of the universe. The youth on the streets looked to say ‘Just listen to us first’ to parents that thought they understand their children, as they pursued worldly goods, ostensibly for their future, to governments that were based on exploitation, regardless of who was in power, and to the understanding that legitimized lawlessness while taking, stealing and destroying the concept of ‘democracy and freedom,’” he said.
Amazing events
Speaking about the project, daily Radikal reporter Serkan Ocak, who prepared the book for publication with İdris Emen, said: “As events in Turkey were going into the annals of history, the world witnessed once more the power of photography. Hundreds of thousands of people were outside and on the street; young people, middle-aged people, women, men, mothers, artists, workers – and, of course, the police. Graffiti written on walls and on the street, songs sung while chanting slogans; tango, salsa and the halay and çiftetelli dances; guitars and pianos – amazing events were truly occurring, all accompanied night and day by disproportionate force from the police.”
Ocak said there were hundreds of photographs taken during the events, some of which appeared on social media, while others were published by media outlets.
“When my colleague at Radikal, İdris Emen, suggested the idea of making a photo collection of the Gezi events, we rolled up our sleeves to produce this book, selecting the photographs of 21 journalists, all of whom were focused on telling a story about these times to the future. In the end, this book is the fruit of those labors,” he said.
The 21 journalists include Ocak, Adem Altan, Vedat Arık, Selin Arutan, Bünyamin, Aygün, Uğur Can, Ünal Çam, Ramazan Çelik, Yunus Dalgıç, Murat Düzyol, İdris Emen, Turan Gültekin, Ozan Güzelce, Yağız Karahan, Bülent Kılıç, Ozan Köse, Murat Şaka, Yurttaş Tümer, Taner Yener, as well as Hürriyet Daily News photographers Emrah Gürel and Selahattin Sönmez.
The 184-page book, which was recently released by Kırmızı Kedi Publishing House, can be purchased in all bookstores for 29 Turkish Liras.
