National Anthem and Turkish Cypriots (2)

If you haven't read our first article in this topic, in terms of subject integrity, please first read the first article with the link below and then read this article.

https://strasam.org/tarih/siyasi-tarih/istiklal-marsi-ve-kibrisli-turkler-609

Republic Day Celebrations:

Students who wanted to celebrate the Republic Day on October 29, 1937 and perform a ceremony by singing the National Anthem were sentenced to beating, while 4 students were expelled from the school on the grounds that they were ringleaders. Peyker Tevfik, who was a teacher like Hatice Tahsin at the same time and worked at Victoria Girls' High School in Nicosia, will complain that children who graduate from primary school unfortunately do not know the National Anthem. Just as Hatice Tahsin said to the British inspector, "I'm introducing the countries, it's time for Turkey..." Hüseyin Kanatlı, who taught in the village of Ayanni during the British period, looks for a solution in his school where the Turkish flag is forbidden and the National Anthem is not played, and a report card will be distributed on the last day of the school. day, despite all the reservations of the headman, he fills all the villagers in the school garden, 1-5. He arranges the 6th grade students in a crescent shape and the 6th grade students in a star shape, gives a speech on the Turkish flag and starts the ceremony with the National Anthem and distributes the report cards to the students. Erdogan Mirata, one of the important names of the Turkish Cypriot community, also wrote in his memoirs, “...It is a pity that we knew this foreign flag, which we first met with love for the flag, as the flag of our 6-year primary school years, and we often shouted its anthem as "Long live our king, long live our khan". He will say, unaware of our value as the Turkish flag…” In this period, a situation that was considered as an extremely important opportunity for the Turkish Cypriots, to relieve their longing for the homeland of Turkey, to salute the Turkish flag and to sing the National Anthem with various excuses, is that the Hamidiye School Ship is one of the seaside ports of Hatay. Then he would visit the island of Cyprus on 20-22 June 1938.

After the 1931 Greek Revolt:

After the 1931 Greek Revolt, the British administration relatively reduced the restrictions and prohibitions on the island, but there are no Turkish books, Turkey maps, Turkish flags, and the National Anthem is prohibited, at least on paper. At this point, it is above all appreciation that Turkish Cypriot teachers teach and sing the National Anthem to children by producing activities and remedies, albeit secretly;[1]

“Music lessons were held once a week. Despite the pressure in those years, our teachers also taught us the National Anthem, but they did not make it public. We used to sing "Long Live Our King" in the ceremonies. Although the opportunities were limited, the teachers made a great effort to teach us something in the music lessons. Because they were seriously inspected by British inspectors. There was a choir on public and national occasions, but there was no orchestra. In primary school, apart from the National Anthem and the Tenth Anniversary March, we learned other anthems such as Ankara and Black Sea anthems. When I was a teacher, April 23 had a special place. Musical events took the weight of the shows. At the beginning of the ceremonies, the choir sang the National Anthem, and then other anthems and songs were sung. It would have been difficult to complete the preparations as it was just after the opening of the schools on October 29.”

Situation in Ozanköy:

Ayşe Mustafa Katipoğlu, one of the first graduates of the Girls Teacher's College in 1946, also took the students to her home in Ozanköy, Kyrenia, her first place of duty, as she could not celebrate the 29 October Republic Day at her school due to the prohibitions, and both celebrated the holiday with enthusiasm with an event she secretly organized. celebrated and also had the opportunity to have the students sing the National Anthem, which he taught secretly. Ayşe Mustafa Katipoğlu organized an event at the school where she worked for the faculty members and students of the Faculty of Agriculture who came to Cyprus during her time at Kazafana and had them sing marches. Mustafa Asım Kayan was one of those who experienced the same difficulties during the period, and he reflects on his memories in the village of Malya (Bağlarbaşı) where he was born and grew up;[2]

“… During the colonial administration, the Turkish flag was hung on the mosque only on Fridays. It was forbidden to sing the National Anthem publicly and to raise the Turkish flag in schools. On Monday mornings, the English flag was hoisted at the school, and the rooms were entered after the English anthem was played. However, after the teachers had the doors and windows closed (secretly), he would sing the National Anthem and have the Turkish flag hung in the room. School head teacher Süleyman Nesip was interrogated by the head of the police station, Corporal Hasan Sami, because of the Turkish flag he opened for his role in the theater play played by Kemal Asım during the year-end performance in 1939, and was released after being questioned.

Flag Law Amendment:

In the same period, with a surprise decision, the Flag Law was changed on the island and during the time Şükrü Saracoğlu was on the island, Turkish Cypriots decorated all sides with Turkish flags and sang the National Anthem despite all the restrictions;[3]

“…But one day, when Turkish Foreign Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu was in Nicosia to hold talks with British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, the next day the two Ministers would drive through the main streets of Nicosia in an open car to the airport, and schools and apartments would be closed for this occasion. and it was learned that the government ordered many Turkish flags from tailors. On that day when the calendars showed March 18, 1941, this news spread in the evening. There was a blackout on the island. Going out was dangerous. The excitement of thinking that they could see and greet a representative of the motherland government, show a little bit of their enthusiasm for the motherland and convey this love to Ankara through Saraçoğlu made them forget the danger and fear. Flags in the houses couldn't be enough for such a big day. In the shops opened in the dark, red and white fabrics were selected and removed by candlelight, and Turkish flags were sewn until morning that night. The next morning, the Turkish houses, shops, clubs and schools of Nicosia were adorned with Turkish flags. Children going to schools, men and women who lined up on the road where the cortege would pass, had Turkish flags in their hands. According to the law, there should be British flags next to the Turkish flags. For this, the British flag was distributed to everyone. Although the foreign flag is now taken for granted, the Turkish Cypriots fulfilled this requirement of the law for the sake of the happiness of being able to proudly wave the crescent and star. After arriving at the place reserved for the Girls' High School in front of the Evkaf building, we calmed the excitement of waiting by singing national anthems. In the meantime, the "Turkish Girls' Song" was repeated frequently, and the small square was ringing with the voices of "They call us Turkish girl, Atatürk's Turkish girl". After that, another national anthem was played. Close to the end of this other march, one of the officers responsible for maintaining the order of that square was approaching and saying 'Sing Atatürk's Turkish Girl' again..."

Turkish High School Alumni Association:

The Turkish High School Alumni Association, which was founded in 1944, takes the lead in initiatives such as celebrating national holidays with enthusiasm, singing the National Anthem in all kinds of openings, ceremonies and activities, and as a result, for the first time on 19 May 1944, 19 May Youth and Sports Day was held in Nicosia for the first time. It is celebrated with ceremonies that start with the National Anthem in the open area and in the place called Cirit Field. Despite the restrictions, the end-of-year performances organized by Paphos Primary School in Paphos on May 21, 1947, started with the National Anthem, in the event held at Titania Cinema Hall, and Lütfiye Ali Ratip and Perihan Sıdkı accompanied the National Anthem with piano, songs and dances.

Visit of the Candidate Turkish Press Delegation:

In the process of visiting the island under the administration of Çorum Deputy Hasene Ilgaz in 1948 and including 7 journalists such as İffet Halim Oruz and Rakım Çalapala and Sedat Simavi, the teachers' caravan toured various Turkish villages, came together with Turkish Cypriots and exchanged ideas. Presentations were made and each ceremony started with the performance of the National Anthem. While the Republic Day was celebrated on October 29, 1948 under the management of journalist Fevzi Ali Rıza Bey in Yeni Saha in the Çağlayan region of Nicosia, a lectern and a megaphone system placed on the field for the anthems rehearsed in the Turkish High School Alumni Association. It is also possible to sing the National Anthem together, including Fazıl Küçük. While Refet Tevfik plays the National Anthem with his violin in this ceremony, the teachers and students participate in the anthem with enthusiasm.

In 1949, as a result of the efforts of the Cyprus Turkish Institutions Federation and the Cyprus Turkish Cultural Association, very valuable teachers started to come from Turkey and the lessons were started under their supervision, control and supervision. Birsen Şemsettin, who was involved in activities that went down in the History of the Turkish Cypriot Struggle with his wife Gözey Şemsettin during the 1955-1974 period, also conveys his experiences in that period with the following words;[4]

“The first day I started the first grade at Selimiye Primary School in 1948, we started the lesson by drawing and painting a Turkish flag in our notebook and humming our National Anthem. I saw the real Turkish flag in 1954 when I started Victoria Girls' High School. Until then, the English flag was hoisted in primary school and we were singing the English national anthem saying, "Long live our king, long live our king, long live." V1. It was the reign of George. In the last year of primary school, II. When Elizabeth was crowned, we began to sing, 'Long live our queen, long live our queen.' In primary school, the British flag had a definite place on the teacher's desk. The inspectors who came to the inspection would check whether that flag was in place…”

Hüseyin Tilki Victorian Girls' High School and Atatürk Institute students, who saw the Turkish flag for the first time when they started secondary school and learned the National Anthem on the same days, participated in the march with great enthusiasm while raising the flag in Nicosia Sarayönü;[5]

“… At every flag ceremony, years ago, when the facial expression of the British inspector was not before my eyes, I would feel the pain of the slap he hit on my neck, and my hatred would increase. But right now, I would like that Englishman to see how happy and proud I am while singing our National Anthem under my glorious flag. I was going to the 3rd grade of primary school... It was a Saturday. The flag ceremony was to be held. The English flag would be hoisted on the post and an anthem would be sung, "Long live our king." I had not yet memorized this anthem. We used to hum while the older classes sang this anthem. An English superintendent came to the school that day and handed out porcelain cups with the queen crest to each child. We were very happy. Until that day, we were drinking the milk cooked at school in mugs. From now on, we would drink in a porcelain cup. On Saturday, we took our cups and stood in line for the flag ceremony. I couldn't even move my lips because I didn't know the anthem. My only thought was to finish the ceremony as soon as possible and run home. While I was in this thought, a slap fell on my neck. I stumbled and was terrified. The English inspector was standing over me. I didn't understand why I ate the slap. The English inspector glared at me, then grunted and stepped among the students. After the march ended, I started running towards the house crying…”

In the 1950s, Turkish children, especially in primary schools, were taught national anthems such as the National Anthem and "Smoke Over the Mountain", albeit secretly, along with the English anthem "Long Live Our King/God Save the King";[6]

National Anthems:

“I would write the songs and their notes on the board, the children would write them in their notebooks. There were no books, there was a shortage of materials and instruments. We used tape at the shows at Sedat Simavi Primary School. I remember there were paintings of composers in this school. I used to teach children's songs such as 'Ali Baba's Farm' as well as marches such as the Queen's March, the 'National Anthem', the 'Tenth Anniversary March', the 'İzmir Anthem'. I also had a few children's compositions (children's songs). I also had the students sing in English from time to time. At that time, there were no songs of Cypriot origin in schools. Sometimes I would also play classical music with my violin. Due to the change in the throne of England, they sent us the notes of the Queen Anthem from the Education Directorate... We used to write which parts we would teach in the music class for 1 year by preparing in advance to be audited. I was warned when I wrote the National Anthem and the Tenth Anniversary Anthem in this report alongside the Queen Anthem.”

For example, an incident that took place on the same day is an indication of the thin intelligence of the Turkish Cypriots and that they never thought of submitting;[7]

“The British also prohibited the hoisting of our flag. Now we were going to kiss our flag, we were going to have a picture taken and our flag would be wrapped and lifted. During a trip in Nicosia Sarayönü Primary School, the head teacher of the primary school, Remzi Bey, taught this anthem to older children by whistling, not with the words. Thus, this anthem was whistled on school trips.”

Hale Avkıran, who was a teacher at the same time, also shared her experiences with “…When the Governor came to Selimiye Primary School, we greeted him with the King Anthem by putting up a choir at the entrance of the school. At Atatürk Primary School, where I worked in 1958-1959 and half of 1960, I would start the week with the National Anthem and end the week with the National Anthem.” he will convey. Meanwhile, Faiz Kaymak, who drew the reaction of the British for making the students sing the National Anthem in the schools where he worked about this law, which would not allow the Turkish Cypriots to study at universities in Turkey, thus causing loosening of ties with Turkey, said, "His military education is accelerated." He makes harsh statements by saying;[8]

“On July 16, a bill amending the Secondary Education Law was published. After a while, the books read in primary schools were abolished. Everything was used to extinguish national feelings. Everything such as singing the national anthem, hoisting the flag, hanging pictures of national heroes was forbidden for primary schools. Teachers were put under strict pressure. Because it was officially reported that there were teachers at the forefront of those who prepared the revolt of the Greeks…”

(To be continued)

References:

[1] Citing Mehmet Güçlü, Halil Selçuk, ibid, p. 69.

[2] Mustafa Asim Kayan, Malya Bağlarbaşı; The Village That Leaves Its Mark on Viticulture, Nicosia, 2012, p. 89

[3] Beria Remzi Özoran, “Atatürk's Daughters in Cyprus”, Cyprus Post, 13 February 1982, Nicosia, p.22.

[4] Interview with Birsen Şemsettin on 12 November 2018 in Nicosia

[5] Interview with Hüseyin Feridun Tilki on 15 November 2013 in Kyrenia.

[6] Quoting from Hüseyin Kanatlı, Halil Selçuk, ibid, p. 78.

[7]Neriman Cahit, ibid, p. 11-12.

[8] People's Voice, 1 August 1952.