Republic day commemorating the proclamation of the republic in October 29, 1923 was celebrated at the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany.
Republic day commemorating the proclamation of the republic in October 29, 1923 was celebrated at the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany.The recent earthquake and terrorist attacks significantly shadowed the celebrations. The program started with a minute of silence dedicated for those who were martyred in the independence war that led to the establishment of the independent Republic of Turkiye as well as those who were martyred during their country service as result of horrendous terrorist attacks. Following this sour and emotional show of respect, the program continued with prayer for those who lost their lives as well as those who lost their homes and loved ones. Movie (called “120”) based on a true story taking place during the World War I in the East Turkey (incidentally same city, Van, hit by the recent earthquake) was then shown to the audience. “120” is a strikingly emotional and well-shot movie tells a story about the 120 children who were given an extremely difficult task to bring munitions and weaponry to the warzone in the extreme cold winter as their fathers were already in the warzone. Most of the children were killed due to harsh winter conditions.
