No offense, no hard feelings

Following the justified protest that marked the Afife Theater Awards, I wrote an article. It concluded: “Let it be known that I will not close this issue with one article. I will continue to ask questions until I receive an answer.”

I received no answers to the questions I asked.

But they remained silent. Silence has become the easiest form of non-response in this country. It's been like this for far too long.

Let's remember... The person who was protested while giving her speech was Sükun Işıtan, who had just received the "Best Actress" award. The protest began when she expressed her gratitude and thanks to Tamer Karadağlı , General Director of the State Theaters , during her acceptance speech.

In addition to his acting career, Sükun Işıtan also serves as DT's Deputy General Manager and Chief Director . Let me emphasize this.

Press support for Sükun Işıtan came from three people.

Ahmet Hakan wrote in his column in Hürriyet , “Tamer Karadağlı is starting to look more likeable to me.”

Cem Küçük, on the other hand, supported the so-called victim, Sükun Hanım, in Türkiye Newspaper , saying, "No matter what Tamer Karadağlı does, he will not be loved by opposition artists. It would be better if he is not loved. This means he is doing the right things..."

Neither of these two names are ones I take seriously. Their words are not surprising.

The third article was published by Ayşe Emel Mesci in her column in Cumhuriyet . Mesci is the director of Medea Material , which was nominated for seven Afife Awards and won six.

His article is just one of the many articles he has written in his newspaper column where he has repeatedly written about the PR work of his own game.

With this latest article, Mesci has his name written in golden letters alongside Ahmet Hakan and Cem Küçük. A truly horrific article!

I always thought that Mesci was a very valuable theater person who came from the revolutionary theater tradition.

When he talks about "lobbying" in his article, does he not realize what kind of lobby he is actually playing into the hands of?

I quote verbatim from his last article:

“General social decay, degradation of quality, and lynching culture are increasingly affecting the art community, which might be expected to remain outside of these, and are overshadowing the artist’s stance…”

The most interesting word in this sentence is "lynching." Because it's become a sterile blanket draped over every criticism. How easy it is to say "we were lynched" when you can't respond to what doesn't suit you. How convenient!

When an artist's speech at a public ceremony is protested, describing it as a "lynching" eliminates the artist's responsibility for accountability.

However, no one lynched anyone there; the audience reacted with an intellectual reflex against the power on stage.

Lynching is done to the weak; the person on stage that night was there with the power of the state.

There is a mentality in this country that considers every criticism as lynching and every reaction as hostility; it has also spread to the field of arts.

Didn't you see that the reason for the protest started when you thanked your general manager from the stage for causing Hacettepe University State Conservatory to start the academic year without teachers ?

So the reaction wasn't personal; it was directed at a symbol of incompetence, oppression, and silence. The reaction wasn't personal; it was against a systematic injustice!

Despite this, how can you write such an article? When asked about these actors' inability to teach, Sükun Hanım replied:

"We only approve the university's request. The perception that 'permission was not granted' is wrong. If the rectorate doesn't request permission, there's nothing we can do. The university is the decision-making authority."

Don't you know that this is not so?

There's the university's official letter, you know! It has the rector's signature underneath! Didn't you see it? If not, here you go, I'm publishing it.

The institution is in turmoil!

For the first time in years, DT is being associated solely with scandals! Aren't you aware of the "mobbing" that's being applied to your colleagues, and even just your female colleagues?

Aren't you aware of how many actresses are constantly being investigated and referred to ministry inspectors?

The directors of two regional theaters at your institution appeared before a judge today on charges of "abduction." As I was writing this, news arrived that they had been acquitted in the first hearing.

The victim is again a young colleague of yours!

First, he complains to the DT General Directorate about those who detained him in his hotel room. DT management does nothing.

Then he goes to the prosecutor's office and the prosecutor files a lawsuit. Do you have any thoughts on this?

While writing about your own game in your newspaper column, did it ever occur to you to mention these grievances?

Or was it not so important for you to see the darkness of others, while the present and future achievements of your own games illuminated you?

What is your revolutionary consciousness? Is your conscience clear? I have a question for the management of Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Cumhuriyet is my first love. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, every day began with Cumhuriyet newspaper. My first newspaper article was published in Cumhuriyet's guest column. I was still in middle school. I've always had a friendly criticism of the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, which prioritizes art.

In this debate, on one side stands your writer, Ayşe Emel Mesci , and on the other, journalists fighting the darkness. There are those who, through their reporting and their columns, convey the truth without distortion or interpretation. While Mesci applauds the "mobbing," or "oppressors," on another page of your newspaper, the events at DT (Turkish Radio) are being described in all their truth. This contradiction pained me. I was saddened. I couldn't help but write. I think İlhan Selçuk would be saddened too if he were alive today. There's no offense or resentment.