By
Heidi Trautmann
Yes,
it was about high time to celebrate the progress and success of the projects
ÇADER, in close cooperation with the Belediye and village citizens, has
achieved. Projects for the protection of the environment. Projects that were
carried through with the full commitment of the ÇADER members, such as …
-Informing
citizens and school classes how to avoid plastic and how to take care of the
rest waste.
-Plastic
is being collected and recycled.
-The
management of garden waste, i.e. shredding and composting.
-The
protection of birds and plants and information on the great variety on the
island.
-Making
aware how important they are for our health and wellbeing.
-Building
of birdhouses in collaboration with parents and children.
-Planting
trees and plants to invite bees and insects to come back to secure pollination.
I
attended a press conference late last year where you find more information.
http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=7428352455#.YNLFFOgzaUk
Good
reasons to celebrate. And we did, it was a true village festival, and it took
me back to my own childhood. Children were enjoying themselves with simple
games of skill, painting stones, and colouring images of our birds and plants,
and older children were demonstrating how to separate house waste. Later the children joined the grownups in
dancing the beautiful folk dances…
There
were some stands with typical local food and many guests gathered around the
big pot of Herse to get their share. Also the sweet tooth found plenty to fill
it with. The stands with handmade ceramic artworks and jewellery, and also the
beautiful handmade ÇADER bags, were frequented the
most.
Pervin
Özgeçen, the president of the association, opened the festival together with
the members of the board of directors, while in the background the musicians were
ready to continue their music, with a song Cemal Özgürsel (guitar) has
composed, the ÇADER song, and the members came forward together with children
to sing this song, now their own song, supported by Ahmet Akarsu on the violin.
And then Pervin Özgeçen opened the
dancefloor….
The
evening continued with bingo, something I have never done before, and there
were in the end happy winners of a lot of prizes. I was not among the lucky
ones lacking practice.
A
lovely evening, up there in the old mountain village of Çatalköy,
where nature and culture has found a secure place.