The General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) held a joint press conference on Tuesday to provide information about the cooperation between the two institutions and their joint activities to promote traditional Turkish music worldwide. Speaking at the meeting held at the institute's headquarters in the capital Ankara, YEE President professor Şeref Ateş stated that they will organize music courses in their 69 centers abroad.
Underlining the thoughtfulness of Turkish music with its deep-rooted history and tradition, Ateş said: “Words of wisdom are very important in Turkish culture. The place where these words symbolically manifest themselves best is in music. In this sense, Turkish music is a product of thought, both with its deep-rooted history and tradition. It is also a treasure of our culture with its wealth of sound and methods. We will carry this treasure to the whole world in cooperation with the General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and ensure that our understanding of beauty surrounds all parts of the world. For this purpose, we will introduce the musical pieces compiled by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the world through music courses and events.”
General Director of Fine Arts Murat Salim Tokaç noted that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism works on musical pieces produced to be listened to forever rather than for daily consumption. Drawing attention to the importance of these pieces in terms of carrying Turkish history and culture to future generations, Tokaç said: “It is a very important issue for our ministry to introduce permanent pieces of Turkish music everywhere in the world through the YEE.” “As an artist, I can say that the efforts made in this sense will make Turkish culture much more recognizable in the world,” Tokaç added.
