Turkish ambassador creates controversy after disguising herself as Helen of Troy at reception

The Turkish ambassador to Uganda was recalled after wearing, at a reception, an outfit reminiscent of Helen of Troy, "a great scandal" according to Turkish media. Any evocation of the ancientness of the presence of Greek and Roman civilizations on the territory of Turkey arouses the anger of Turkish nationalists who insist on the Turkish identity of the state.

Turkey on Saturday recalled its ambassador to Kampala after she was photographed at a Turkish national holiday reception wearing a costume inspired by Greek mythology, a case that provoked the indignation of the nationalists. Ambassador Sedef Yavuzalp hosted the reception at the embassy in Kampala to celebrate the Turkish National Day, which commemorates the 29th of October the 1923 proclamation of the republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The Twitter account of the Ugandan parliament, whose president Rebecca Kadaga was at the reception, published photos of Sedef Yavuzalp wearing a dress evoking Greek mythology and an unidentified Turkish official in toga, an olive wreath on the head.

"A big scandal"

The nationalist daily Sozcu published this Saturday the photographs on the front page, claiming that Sedef Yavuzalp was dressed in Helen of Troy, heroine of Homer's legendary epic whose kidnapping sparked the Trojan War, and the unidentified his sides disguised as Zeus, god of Greek mythology, with an olive crown on his head.

"A great scandal on Republic Day, the ambassador was Helen, and her assistant Zeus," indignantly told the newspaper. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that "an urgent inquiry was launched after the publication on social networks and in the press of photographs of our ambassador at the reception" . "In this context, the ambassador was recalled," added the ministry.

"The year of Troy"

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also announced in a tweet that the ambassador had been recalled. Any evocation of the ancientness of the presence of Greek and Roman civilizations on the territory of Turkey arouses the anger of Turkish nationalists who insist on the Turkish identity of the state.

According to Sozcu, Sedef Yavuzalp is a career diplomat posted to Uganda for five years. According to the media, she was trying to promote the year 2018 "Year of Troy" , the legendary city whose remains would be on an archaeological site near the city of Canakkale in western Turkey.