Hayriye Caddesi No:12
Galatasaray
34434 Istanbul /
Turkey
- Arts
- Democracy and community development
- Environment/Sustainable development
- Gender
- Heritage
- International/Cultural relations
- Religion
- Youth and education
The main mission and objectives of the Eternal Gratitude Association are cultural exchange between urban and rural areas in Turkey as well as intercultural exchange and cooperations between Turkey and its neighbors in Europe. Mainly Turkish artists, most of whom have their roots in villages in rural Anatolia, return to Anatolia, to the Village of Eternal Gratitude, to pay back, learn and remember their Anatolian roots. By organizing an annual festival (the Gratitude to Anatolia Encounters) and other artistic and cultural events, not only cultural exchange between different layers of society is encouraged, but also socio-economic support is being made to the region which is increasingly suffers from depopulation and underdevelopment.
Sonsuz Sükran Derneği (SSD), during the past 6 years of its existence and activities in Turkey, has gained thorough relevant experience with international and especially European cooperations. Among cooperation projects that have been conducted are the “Gratitude to Anatolia Encounters”. In this framework, an international Land Art event and the International “Cumra Sculpture Festival” have been conducted in 2011 with the participation of sculptors from Turkey, France, Germany and other European countries.
The “Gratitude to Anatolia Encounters” that took place annually from 2009 so far included international guests, among them artists from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mongolia, Ireland, England and Morocco.
Furthermore, events such as the “Çavuş International Painting Event” have been conducted. In the Painting event, 37 artists from 11 different Arab countries participated and created their own vision of the village on canvas. Another on-going project is the setup of a permanent cooperation with partners from Austria (Styrian Summer Art), Germany (Experimental Media Lab HBK Saar) and Hungary (Utca Szak). Together with its partners, SSD applied for funding in the framework of the European Culture Programme and continues to foster international cooperation and exchange of individuals as well as of partner organizations.
The Eternal Gratitude Association provides a large network of well known artists and cultural - intellectual individuals and organizations. The association can contribute to the country network by adding its own large national and international network to the country network, setting up new cooperations and providing the Village of Eternal Gratitude as a location that can be understood as a unique home and base in central Anatolia that offers all kinds of opportunities for network activities.
The objectives and purpose of the ALF Network of improving mutual understanding and dialogue correspond very well to the objectives and activities of our organization. As a place of universality, cosmopolitanism, arts and culture, the Village of Eternal Gratitude and Eternal Gratitude Association aims to provide a space, location and the opportunities to make dialogue happen. The fields of action of the ALF Network - education, culture and media, similarly correspond to the fields of activities of the Eternal Gratitude Association, that has conducted inderdisciplinary, annual arts events since 2009.
ALF aims at strengthening EuroMediterranean relations, especially at a time when the EU accession process has been slowing down and Turkish politics and society increasingly turned politically strained.The Eternal Gratitude Association works in favor of increasing and supporting democratic values, dialogue and tolerance within Turkish society, empower women and minority rights and provide education for young and underpriviledged parts of society.
ALF and its networked organizations try to strengthen international cooperation of Turkish actors especially with European countries, which in the past years also increasingly became an aim of Sonsuz Sükran Derneği. Internationalization of the project and the inclusion of cultural exchange has become one main aim of Sonsuz Sükran Derneği and the Gratitude to Anatolia Encounters.