Few know that there are black citizens of African descent in Turkey, these are the descendants of the Africans who were brought in by the Ottoman Empire for their exploitation in various works. This nationalism, which some African-Turkish historians call it, seeks to find its roots and revive its lost heritage. This ethnic group, in addition to the major cities, is spread along the Aegean coast in Turkey, in small villages. "The first generation suffered, the second generation denied, and now the third generation is wondering," says Turkish-African historian Mustafa Olbak in a study of the biography of this diminishing minority in Turkey. This historian coined the term “African-Turks”, established the movement to revive the identity of this group, and sought to record the history of an estimated 1.3 million people who experienced the life of slavery when they were brought from Africa to the territories controlled by the Ottoman Empire at the time, and who are still only today A footnote in Turkish history.

Whereas, “The Library of the American Congress is replete with more than 600 books on African American figures, none of these books or information can be found in the Ottoman Archives,” as Turkish historian Hakan Erdem notes in his commentary on Olpak's book, before He died last year. Olpac had dreamed of handing a copy of his book to former US President Barack Obama, and he traveled to Istanbul airport in a desperate attempt to meet him during his visit to Turkey, but to no avail.

Erdem believes that 10 thousand slaves were brought in almost every year from Africa to be employed in all parts of the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century alone, including 1,000 people sent annually to what is now known as the borders of modern Turkey. Most of them are used as domestic servants, chefs, or nannies for women, and some are harnessed to work on American-style farms during the era of slavery.

bondage

Slavery did not disappear from the Ottoman lands overnight, while while the decree issued in 1857 by Sultan Abdul Majid I canceled the slave trade under pressure from European powers, slavery did not disappear completely in Turkey, therefore, some families remained, especially in Istanbul and near the coast of Bahr Aegean, kept her slaves until the late 20th century.

Today, "African-Turkish" is estimated at tens of thousands only, and many of them still live in the villages of Haskoy, Nessifler and Yenikoy near Izmir, while others reside in the rural areas around Ayvalık, Antalya and Adana, and also in Istanbul. In Izmir, the state provided them with safe housing and helped them integrate into the labor market. The Turks called the entire villages and neighborhoods inhabited by "Africans - Turks", the name of the regions "Arab" - which is the Turkish word for referring to the Arabs - and the Turks still use this word to refer to the African-Turks.

"We are Turks and Muslims, and we are proud of that," says Olbak's successor, his name is Sacre Douglor, who lives in the village of Haskoy. A retired mechanic saker, who took over the leadership of the African Culture and Solidarity Association after Olbak died in 2016. Saker's sister-in-law, Khadija, says, "I've never asked myself why I am a black Turkish" and adds, "I didn't care or care where I came from." The situation remained as it was until 2006, when Turkish National TV presented a documentary on "The Black Society" in Turkey, and the new Olpak book "Kenya-Crete-Istanbul: A Biography from the Slave Coast". Even Olbak's daughter, Zainab, did not know anything about her origins, Zainab, today is a flight attendant for Turkish Airlines. She had no idea that her grandparents were slaves.

Mixed race

Zaynab herself came from a mixed race, but despite this, her dark olive skin, and her long wavy hair does not cause much surprise in Turkey. "I had a hard time reading the book, so I had to read it in sessions, and I was crying after reading each part," she says. "My father sought to find his identity, but most Turks like him were not very happy with this discovery." She was smoking a cigarette before she went to catch the plane, a trip that would soon take her back to Kenya, and she made a muffled laugh when she realized this paradox.

Zainab goes on to say that "our ancestors did not want the new generations to know their origins, so they kept it a secret." But "almost 10 years have passed since my father's book was issued, and during those 10 years, people's reactions have changed." "I am proud of my African origins," said Missouri, Sakeri's sister. "But I only know the village where I grew up." An Missouri illiterate who cannot read or write, she says: “I had no chance to learn to read, but if I had learned, there is no doubt that I would be in a better position.”

The African-Turkish community is largely composed of the working class, and it appears that the rural villages inhabited by this community have been affected by the accelerating civil life and industrialization movement in Turkey over the past two decades.

Besides the difficulties of working-class life in rural areas in Turkey, racial-African-Africans are suffering, according to researcher at Ig University in Izmir, Loulover Korokemiz. She says: "Equality is not enough, because the absence of structural racism does not mean that it does not really exist."

Some African-Turks realize that their lives do not go smoothly every day. In some villages, some “white Turks” put their hands on the eyes of their children when passing by “black Turks”, believing that looking at them brings bad luck. However, the talismans of African-Turks are viewed by others as lucky. "In the cities, we often struggle to find jobs without success, and without a clear reason," says one African-Turkish woman, although society usually claims that there is little discrimination. Racism and discrimination are what motivated human rights activist and writer Mustafa Olpak, who taught himself, and was able to research the history of his family, and the result was a similar work to the novel "Roots", written by the American author, Alex Haley of 1976, which tells the story of an African sold as a slave in United State.

Some African-Turks realize that their lives do not go smoothly every day. In some villages, some white Turks put their hands on the eyes of their children when passing by black Turks, believing that looking at them brings bad luck. The African-Turkish community is largely made up of the working class, and it appears that the rural villages inhabited by this community have been affected by the accelerating civil life and industrialization movement in Turkey over the past two decades.

Songs expressing deep sadness

The late singer Esmirei expresses her nationalist pains. Getty

The songs of the African-Turkish singer, Esmirei Dreamer, reflects her sadness of being an ethnic minority. This African-American singer is known throughout her life for singing songs related to the army and the world of cultural anthropology. Through her songs, she expresses her ancestors who were brought to Anatolia as slaves from Morocco, Zanzibar, Kenya, Sudan, Niger and Libya. This singer became famous in Turkey after her song in 1977, "Come on, let me know the message, come." This song addresses young Turkish soldiers who head to their homes after performing their compulsory military service. She continued to release albums and songs for decades until her death in 2002, and among her other songs, "Don't Forget Me".

On a subject about this singer in the Emirati newspaper, "National", which is published in English, the author of the article, Cornelia Penicios, asked how others saw this singer as a black Turkish in a country where there was no room for cultural diversity and diversity during the period of the Ottoman Empire, and she responds to that The answer lies in her songs, in which the listener feels feelings of frustration and prejudice. And the song "13.5" is the most expressive of the reality of its nationality, which reflects an old but common bias against people with dark skin in Turkey, where Turkish society believes in a myth that claims that you should "pinch" yourself when you see a person with dark skin, a metaphor for Pessimism, and has expanded throughout her life to make the Turks see themselves as being of various nationalities. Others say she “deserves respect and appreciation, not only as a great singer, but also as a messenger for social equality and mutual respect.”

The songs of the African-Turkish singer, Esmirei Dreamer, reflects her sadness of being an ethnic minority.

Translation: AK about Turkish “conditions”

False beliefs

African-Turks suffer racism. Getty

The locals in the Aegean region have some superstitious beliefs about blacks. Where some of them believe that if he sees a black person and the disc of this person is his friend who walks next to him, then his desire will be fulfilled. Sazer, the daughter of Turkish-African historian Mustafa Olpak, remembers that she once saw two women who pinched each other upon seeing them, and seemed disturbed and uncomfortable, and jokingly told them that if they really wanted their desires to be fulfilled, they had to hit them hard, and they accepted that, but they accepted it but they I laughed at them.

Sometimes some people don't believe that the Afro-Turkish are indeed Turkish citizens. One black Turks says that when she was shopping in a store, the store owner thought she was a tourist, so she spoke to him in a healthy Turkish language, but he replied to her that she speaks the Turkish language better than him and better than the other Turks.

Other myths are that kissing a black person can bring luck. The Turkish woman says, “When I was young, some parents asked me to accept their young girls, because according to what they believe that kissing the girl by an African child will make her find a good husband in the future.” Aside from being the center of some myths, most African-Turks say they have not been insulted or discriminated against by Turkish society. However, overcoming prejudice while searching for a white Turkish woman to marry her is not as easy as they think. Some of them note that sometimes the family does not agree to marry her African-American son or daughter.

Olbak himself suffered harassment in school and dropped out of school for a year, but he finally finished his education. He was married to a white Turkish woman for 25 years, when her family suddenly declared, "This lion will not receive a family inheritance." In the end, Olbak divorced his wife, and this was not the only racist comment or example of discrimination in his life.

Translated by: Ak from "Today Zaman"