Speaking at the opening of “A Civilization Destroyed: The Wealth of Non-Muslims in the Late Ottoman Period and the Early Republican Era” conference, Rakel Dink said, “On the territory that we are living together now, an ancient civilization was scattered a century ago. And today again, some wish to wipe off some ancient cultures… Only if we could correctly transfer what happened in the past, we would be able to see clearly what is happening today and the facts behind it…”
“A Civilization Destroyed: The Wealth of Non-Muslims in the Late Ottoman Period and the Early Republican Era” conference organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation in cooperation with Boğaziçi University, İstanbul Bilgi University and Sabancı University has begun.
Rakel Dink was the keynote speaker. Here is her speech:
It was exactly 10 years ago, when “Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of the Empire: Scientific Responsibility and Democracy” conference, also known as the “Armenian Conference” was organized in Istanbul in 2005. Bogazici, Bilgi, and Sabanci universities were the organizing institutions of the conference, which marked a turning point in the history of Turkey’s democracy.
It wasn’t easy. These institutions, their rectors and all those who took part in the organization of the conference had to face serious accusations, including treason and stabbing Turkey in the back. A certain price had to be paid. Nevertheless, they were the ones who paved the way for today.
Today, 10 years after that conference and on the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we have convened once again thanks to the cooperation of the these three universities. Hereby, on behalf of the Hrant Dink Foundation, I would like to express my gratitude to Bogazici, Bilgi and Sabanci universities, as well as to all the friends who have contributed to this event, for their commitment to the preservation of academic freedom and for their support to the organization of this conference.
Throughout these two days, with the participation of many academics from Turkey and abroad, we aim to discuss the history of non-Muslims, who were purged through annihilation and Turkification policies as part of the nation-building process, as well as the lost human capital and its social and economic consequences.
They say property is a piece of the soul. It may be true; yet without the soul, without the life, what is that property good for? Can it flourish and blossom? In a society which had lost its human resources, its artisans, its writers and educated intellectuals, how could property develop and thrive? And after the annihilation of all these souls, all these people, it is natural to ask that whether property matters at all. Yes, it is can be asked. But then again, isn’t it true that passing a civilization, culture, wealth and property to other hands was the ultimate purpose of their plan?
Personally, I could not mourn enough for the losses of my people. This is a big loss, not only for Armenians, but also for all humanity. You may have noticed that 95% of our traditional songs are like laments. Zabel Yesayan, in her book “Among the Ruins,” which she wrote in the wake of Adana massacre in 1909, tells about the impossibility of fully grasping and comprehending the deep darkness of those days of torment. Perhaps, only laments can make us come closer to the feelings of those times. By way of songs, we are able to feel and experience the yearning for and the pain of a destroyed civilization, in Adana, Bingol, Van and numerous other beautiful places.
In last two years, a group of young people at the Hrant Dink Foundation have been searching for the remnants of the non-Muslim entity, creating an inventory of thousands of churches, schools, synagogues and tracing the marks of a destroyed civilization. The sites of the treasure hunters are one of their most important resources. As Hrant said, “Are the ones who are looking for treasure underneath the earth aware of the Armenian treasure on the face of the earth? Our experiences show that they are not aware of it at all.”1
Why has Anatolia, which was a very fertile territory a century ago, become a barren desert today? Why has the South-East, which was the heart of the Silk Road and the cradle of civilizations, become a desolate territory today?
After a century, why do we still insist on talking about the past, at a time when we are surrounded by many fresh sorrows, when hundred thousands of people are driven from their homelands and when we are witnessing the brutal deaths of the innocent babies, as well as the clash of civilizations intensifying again in a different way... Why do we give such importance to talk about a civilization, which was destroyed a century ago?
“As a country, we may have excluded ourselves from the discussions on these topics taking place elsewhere. Yet, the humanity properly debated those issues at one time and was able to develop this universal principle: “Don’t forget and don’t let it be forgotten, so that you won’t go through it never again.”2
“The ones who still defend oblivion today are the ones who are not only afraid of the past but also afraid of the future. The past, which is not forgotten, is a safeguard for the future.”2
The bottom line is this: on the territory that we live together now, an ancient civilization was scattered a century ago. And today again, some wish to wipe off some ancient cultures… If we could correctly transfer what happened in the past, only then we would be able to see clearly what is happening today and the facts behind it and only then we can prevent all the malice and say “never again”.
In fact, the past that we will dig out today will enable us to see a bit more clearly.
I would like to end my speech by commemorating and paying tribute to the people who have been displaced from their homeland and who lost their lives due to the dirty war that we are living today. Unfortunately, we didn’t succeed during the last century. I wish for a century in which diversity will be accepted and we will succeed to coexist.
