President Erdoğan spoke at the Living Human Treasures Award Ceremony with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Making a speech at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Special Awards Ceremony, President Erdoğan said: “We have been working tirelessly to unearth the untapped cultural heritage in Anatolia. We have been conducting the most intensive works of our history particularly in the field of archeology.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Special Awards Ceremony and Living Human Treasures Award Ceremony in Ankara.
“WE BUILT THE TURKISH ART OVER CENTURIES BY CREATING THE MOST REMARKABLE WORKS OF HISTORY IN MANY FIELDS OF ART”
President Erdoğan extended his gratitude to all the artists and masters practicing their arts and carrying the nation’s cultural and civilizational heritage to the future in every corner of Türkiye and across its kindred geography.
Pointing out that 25 more artists and masters who have produced successful works in various fields have been declared ‘living human treasures’ in 2024, President Erdoğan listed the names of the awardees one by one and thanked them all for “your extraordinary efforts and the works you produce.”
“As a nation, we built the Turkish art over centuries by creating the most remarkable works of history in many fields of art. Our style of art, just like our way of life and just like our way of faith and thought, is one of the most basic elements that make us a nation,” President Erdoğan said.
“THE NEOLIBERAL SYSTEM DISREGARDS LOCAL RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY”
Stressing that everything is consumed very quickly in the current age, and that humans’ approach to life, environment, world and art has undergone a profound change as a result of technological revolution, President Erdoğan underscored that digitalization has permeated every sphere of life from economy to finance, from culture to communication.
President Erdoğan went onto say: “We are following the capabilities and achievements of artificial intelligence with excitement at times, and with concern at others. One of the outcomes of the advancement in communication and transportation is digital techno-culture, which is getting more and more widespread. The distinguishing feature of this culture is uniformity called trend. The neoliberal system, which is based on consumption, either disregards local richness, diversity and experience, or hollows them out by commodifying them.”
Warning that cultural degeneration has engulfed the world as a result of globalization, President Erdoğan stated it is very saddening that countless traditional elements of culture, brought to the present day by being passed down from generation to generation, are being wasted and put on the dusty shelves of history.
“WE PRESERVE OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF OUR VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS”
“Preserving richness, pluralism and different traditions also means building a bridge extending from the past to the future,” said President Erdoğan, and added: “Whether it is done in the name of money, self-interest, or ideology, uniformity leads solely to cultural degeneration, desertification.”
President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “We have been carrying out important activities to preserve our architectural works and cultural heritage in the cities developed by our ancestors. We preserve our cultural heritage through the efforts of our various institutions such as the Directorate General of Foundations, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Yunus Emre Institute, and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities. We have been working tirelessly to unearth the untapped cultural heritage not only abroad but also in Anatolia. We have been conducting the most intensive works of our history particularly in the field of archeology.”
