Afro-Turks Consider Turkey Home, But Wonder About Their Roots In Africa
09 November 2017Turki Sabah
The grandchildren of black immigrants who came to Anatolia for various reasons
such as agricultural work and military service from African countries in the
1500s continue their lives in some regions of the city such as the Hasköy
village of Bayındır district in İzmir province.
African descendants, who have been recognized as "Afro-Turks living in İzmir"
in time, prefer names like Ayşe, Hatice, Şakir, Mehmet and Ali like a typical
Turkish family.
When we enter the homes of African descendants living in İzmir, who are now
"one of us," the first thing that catches our eye is their clothing. African
women smile and welcome their guests wearing headscarves and shalwar. When the
conversation begins, their lips are filled with expressions in a
Turkish-Aegean dialect.
In the kitchens of Afro-Turks, women cook dishes unique to Anatolia.
At the humble dining table, foods consisting of "pişi" (a type of pastry),
cheese and watermelon, a favorite fruit in Turkey depict the love of these
people for Turkey, and they discuss their struggle for education amid poor
living conditions.
Although many Afro-Turks do not know when, where or why their ancestors came
to Anatolia, they consider themselves "Turks" and provide answers to questions
about their colored skin in slight reproach.
Afro-Turks are not only adding color to the neighborhood where they live but
also to urban city life. Mesure Doğan, who is illiterate but knows all the
streets of the historical Kemeraltı Bazaar "inch by inch," holds onto life
with "the struggle to make a living," while Yalçın Yanık, who tries to earn
his livelihood by stitching together pieces of leather, with "the happiness of
being the center of attention," finds comfort in his fellow traders.
Broken family ties
Güngör Delibaş, whose family is originally from Sudan, said she left her
family for the love of her life in Turkey decades ago.
Expressing that she recently lost her husband to illness, Delibaş said: "I am
originally from Sudan. My family did not send me to school. I fell in love
with my neighbor's son, and then I ran away. I could not go back to the
village for years because of fear, but I did not give up on my love," Delibaş
said. "Love does not care about beauty, wealth, or skin color. Ours was true
love. Not everyone can find such love. My mother has not forgiven me for
running away and she has not spoken to me for 45 years. I was happy, my mother
was not."
Lost roots
Hatice Doğuşer said she has no idea where her ancestors came from but stressed
that she spent her childhood by working in the cotton fields. "I could not go
to school and say, 'I will become this.' I wish everything was fine, but I
knew they would not be. The villagers did not alienate me. When I go out of
the village, there are people who call me 'Arab,' and I get angry at them,"
Doğuşer said.
Sabriye Sınaic also highlighted that she considers herself a Turk, and that
her son-in-law is also from İzmir. "My son also started a family with a white
girl. My grandchildren are a mixed race. Everyone gets married to whomever
they want," Sınaiç said, adding that they are pleased with their lives in
İzmir while expressing that she is also curious about their relatives in
Africa. "If I had the chance, I would like to see the land my ancestors came
from. Turkey will always be my homeland because I love it very much."
Serkan Doğuluer noted that he has generally earned a living through farming.
"Being an Afro-Turk is both enjoyable and difficult," he said. "Sometimes,
people do not believe that we are Turks. There are those who ask to see my
identity card, take photos and speak English. In the past, I have experienced
job-related problems as well."
Afro-Turks living in the city
Mesure Doğan, 70, who is illiterate and makes a living on selling products
such as slippers and fabrics bought from the historical Kemeraltı Bazaar, said
she lost her father at a young age. "I got married, had no children and my
husband died. Now, I only have God and my siblings here. I sell what I buy
from Kemeraltı in the small villages. Sometimes in Kemeraltı, people call me
'Arab.'"
Yalçın Yanık, 58, a leather-maker in Basmane, said his ancestors came to the
region as slaves, adding however, that "I have not seen any discrimination in
Turkey. I have not experienced any difficulty in urban life as an African. To
the contrary, the interest has been more intense," he added.
Şakir Doğuluer, the leader of the African Culture and Solidarity Foundation,
said they try to learn more about the culture of their ancestors.
Afro-Turks in Gallipoli
Doğuluer stated that his ancestors are reported to have come to Anatolia as
agricultural workers or soldiers. "We think that there are around 20,000 to
25,000 Afro-Turks in Turkey. Since we are warm-hearted, we have no problem
where we live. There are many people in İzmir that like us. We were born and
raised here," Doğuluer said, adding: "My father did military service for this
country. Some of our ancestors fought in the war in Çanakkale. This is our
country, we are also in this country. Our traces in the past have disappeared.
I wish we could find our roots, but it is very difficult."
Common life since 1500s
Dr. Umut Cafer Karadoğan, a professor of Sinop University's Department of
History who has studied Afro-Turks, said people of African origin were brought
from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Libya and Egypt to Ottoman lands since 1510 to
serve as servants in the palace.
Informing that African descents were "freed" because of the lack of "slave"
status in Islam and asserting that some of them were placed in İzmir, Aydın,
Muğla, Antalya and Northern Cyprus and given the status of agricultural
worker, Karadoğan said during the Period of Stagnation, especially between
1650-1700, they were brought up as soldiers.
Umut Cafer Karadoğan noted that orphaned children of African origin were also
adopted.
Pointing out that African descents began to act as they wished upon the
development of the concept of citizenship after the Tanzimat period, Karadoğan
said, "African descents are also having interracial marriages, and their
colors are gradually whitening. Yet, they still do not know their identity."
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