Melike Aydın

 

IZMIR - The Balıkesir part of the summer camp, which will be held by Purple Solidarity with the slogan ‘’We do not give up even if the world turns upside down’’, starts on September 4-5. A final declaration will be published at the end of the camp, where many topics from ecology to self-defense, from neoliberal policies to refugees will be discussed.

 

Purple Solidarity (Mor Dayanışma) is organizing the fifth summer camps since 2016. At this year’s meeting of the Purple Solidarity Council of Turkey, it was decided to organize the camps in Mersin and Balıkesir, which could not be held last year due to the pandemic. Burhaniye Artemis Ören Holiday Village is the address of the camp in Balıkesir, which will be held with the slogan ‘’We do not give up even if the world turns upside down’’. Deniz Uslu from Purple Solidarity called for participation in the camp where there will be panels, workshops, theater and movie screenings as well as book introductions and stated that they will increase the organization with the strength they will get from the camp.

 

The slogan includes a reaction to the annulment of the Istanbul Convention

 

Stating that the main slogan of the camp was chosen against the attacks to the Istanbul Convention, Deniz said: ‘’’From a convention that is vitally important for women. We said, ‘We will not give up even if the world turns upside down’. We do not give up not only the convention, but all our rights and lives. Because it is an all-out attack. During this time, we are making the call to ‘join the struggle too, sister’. We think that there will be 250 people in Balıkesir.’’

 

Workshops, panels, book, theater, movie talks…

 

The program includes simultaneous workshops, panels, film and theater performances, book talks and free time. The prominent topic in the panels will be ‘’Women’s labor and new struggle dynamics’’. The play ‘’Çatlak’’, adapted from the book of Ayten Kaya Görgün, played by Duygu Şahlar, will also be staged and a talk will be held. Elif Demirel’s book ‘’Hazin’’ will be read and a talk will be held with the author. In the simultaneous workshop programs to be held at the camp, prominent topics include: ‘’As demand for right and life women’s struggle for ecology’’, ‘’Self-defense in the practical and organized struggle of women in their struggle for survival’’, “Liberation as a process, fear of independence’’, ‘’Our acquired rights 6284’’, ‘’Women’s health and neoliberal policies’’, ‘’Refugeeship well then where to now? LGBTI+ and women’s struggle’’.

 

‘Even having fun has became political’

 

Expressing that there will be dance programs as well as free times with the opportunity to rest in response to the intense tempo in the camp, Deniz said: ‘’Even having fun has became a political issue for women. We want to organize this as well.’’

‘Consciousness raising activities will be carried out’

 

Deniz stated that in the camp women who have not met with the women’s movement before and active in the organized struggle, and women from various professions and age groups came together, new friendships made as well as consciousness raising activities where issues related to the country’s agenda were discussed, and she said: “Our camp is important in terms of making the whole of Turkey commonize. On the way back from the camp, we are doing our work even stronger with the strength we get from the camp in the neighborhoods and we are implementing our organization plans there for those coming from provinces where we are not organized.’’

 

Third Conference in April 2022

 

Expressing that what emerged from the discussion topics were the basis for the creation of the road map, Deniz said: ‘’We will hold the Third Turkey Women’s Conference in April 2022. That will be the place where we strengthen our paradigm’’. And she invited the women to the camp.