Our Foundation was established on October 2, 1981, in Ankara with the purpose of researching our folk culture resources, which have taken place in every phase of Turkish history for thousands of years, and by embracing the traditional cultural values of our people, to ensure that our society builds a strong bridge from the past to the future. While carrying out these efforts, our Foundation makes use of contemporary science, knowledge, and technological opportunities, without deviating from the original cultural roots, and processes them with a modern perspective, in order to contribute to the ever-progressing and developing Republic of Turkey in the field of folk culture.
In line with its founding objectives and within its means, our Foundation has successfully carried out significant studies in various fields of Turkish folk culture. To disseminate these efforts to broader audiences and ensure their preservation for future generations, our Folk Culture Journal titled Anatolian Folklore has completed its third volume and begun publishing its fourth.
Through our Folk Dance Groups established in Ankara, Edirne, Samsun, and Zonguldak, a total of 9,340 young Turks have been trained in folk dances to date, and there are currently 1,400 active members. Archival collections of material folk culture such as kilims, copperware, socks, scarves, walking sticks, women’s jewelry, as well as authentic and regional traditional costumes for men and women have been formed. In relation to these, nine Anatolian Folk Arts Exhibitions have been organized. Additionally, 25 successful cultural events have been carried out in various provinces and districts of our country under the titles Folk Dances and Songs from Anatolia and Our Folklore Spring.
Our International Antalya Folk Dance and Music Festival has been held three times, in 1988, 1990, and 1993, and is planned to continue as a biennial tradition, subject to financial resources, with broader participation in the future. In cooperation with official cultural institutions of our state, our Foundation has successfully completed 58 cultural projects over 26 years of service, and such projects will continue in the years ahead. Furthermore, our archives include Turkish folk dances and music, photographs (color and black & white), slides, and video recordings, all of which are accessible for research and service. A specialized library on Turkish folk culture has also been established to meet the needs of researchers.
For the past 13 years, our Foundation has introduced Turkish folk dances to foreign guests in large-scale tourist facilities in Antalya, one of the leading tourism centers of the Mediterranean region, thereby providing a cultural service. Over the past 42 years, we have also proudly represented our country 182 times in international folklore festivals across the world. Within these 148 international activities, our Foundation has won 14 world championships, including four at the Dijon World Folklore Olympics in France, one at Agrigento in Italy, one at the Danube Festival in Hungary, one at Langollen in the UK, three at Zakopane in Poland, one in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Carthage, Tunisia. This remarkable achievement over 43 years has not been matched by any other institution in Turkey.
In addition, we have actively participated in 138 qualified cultural events organized within Turkey, contributing to their success. Intensive efforts are also underway to establish a Turkish Folklore Museum in Antalya.
Our Foundation has organized numerous conferences on different aspects of Turkish folk culture and contributed papers to seminars, symposia, conferences, and panels organized by other institutions. It is not our intention to elaborate further here.
The Anatolian Folklore Foundation is the only foundation in Turkey dedicated exclusively to folk culture. Therefore, our work continues with a heightened sense of responsibility and dedication.
Inspired by the great leader Atatürk’s directive, “The foundation of the Republic of Turkey is culture,” our Foundation believes that folk culture plays an essential role in the national unity and solidarity of our people. We see the foundation of development in education and culture. Through the research, compilation, archiving, and exhibition of our tangible and intangible folkloric values, we continue our mission to build and preserve our national culture.
The number of folk culture institutions in our country is steadily increasing, and they are producing valuable work. However, for various reasons, no institution has been as effective and successful in the field of folk culture as our Foundation.
At the root of all universal and national cultures lie folk cultures. Likewise, the foundations of Turkish national culture rest upon the culture of the Turkish people. Therefore, it is evident that the efforts of institutions such as the Anatolian Folklore Foundation play a vital role in the creation and preservation of a contemporary and universal Turkish culture.
Within the scope of our founding goals, significant efforts have been made in the field of Turkish folk music, particularly over the past four years. In this context, five cassettes and CDs featuring folk music artist Nazlı Öksüz were released in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2001. The Foundation did not pursue financial gain through these productions but rather sought to contribute to the preservation of the authentic values of Anatolian folk culture, which is under threat of erosion. These works have also been broadcast on radio and television, presenting our folk music to audiences in its purest form.
Our primary goal is to present our folk culture to the people of our country in the most scientific and accurate manner possible.
Respectfully,
ANATOLIAN FOLKLORE FOUNDATION
Board of Directors
