AKP mayor requested, Ministry of National Education implemented! Nasreddin Hodja banned: Risk of laughter
The competition titled “Nasreddin Hodja Anecdote Telling Tradition,” which was registered by UNESCO as a common cultural heritage of humanity, has been canceled by the Ministry of National Education on the grounds of Israel's attacks on civilians in Gaza.
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UNESCO's “Nasreddin Hodja Anecdote Telling Tradition,” which is on the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” was registered as an international cultural asset by the unanimous vote of all member countries at the UNESCO summit held in Morocco last November.
"RISK OF LAUGHTER"
According to the report by Sultan Uçar from Sözcü, the competition titled “Nasreddin Hodja Anecdote Telling Tradition,” which had been held locally among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade primary school students until now without international registration, was suspended in its first year of international recognition upon the request of Akşehir Municipality and the approval of the Ministry of National Education (MEB). It was learned that the risk of laughter was evaluated regarding Nasreddin Hodja's anecdotes.
"DUE TO ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE AGAINST PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS..."
Akşehir Mayor Salih Akkaya requested from the Ministry of National Education that the competition be postponed and announced to all primary schools, stating, “The regional and Turkey finals of the ‘Inter-Primary School Nasreddin Hodja Anecdote Dramatization Competition,’ which was planned to be held in Akşehir, were planned to be postponed to another date because a ‘National Mourning’ was declared in our country due to Israel's genocide against Palestinian civilians.”
MINISTRY POSTPONED
Ministry Director General of Secondary Education Halil İbrahim Topçu also notified the 81 provincial directorates of national education, districts, and schools with an official letter on October 25, 2023, that the Nasreddin Hodja Anecdote Dramatization Competition had been postponed. The Ministry published the decision to postpone the 7th National Inter-Primary School Anecdote Dramatization Competition, which was to be held this year with the participation of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade primary school students, on October 30, 2023. The competition was scheduled to have its final on October 26.
The anecdotes to be dramatized in the 7th Nasreddin Hodja National Anecdote Dramatization Competition had been determined in advance by the Ministry of National Education and Akşehir Municipality. Among these anecdotes are 148 of Nasreddin Hodja's stories, such as “One cannot escape from God's mercy,” “Until heaven and hell are full,” and “Just for show.”
THERE WAS A 100 THOUSAND TL PRIZE FOR STUDENTS
The Nasreddin Hodja National Anecdote Dramatization Competition had been held 6 times before without UNESCO registration.
The Ministry of National Education made an announcement in June for the participation of all primary schools in Turkey in the 7th competition. School, provincial, and district eliminations were completed. Finalist students were going to receive awards on October 26 during the Nasreddin Hodja Commemoration Days. 30 thousand TL was to be given to the winner, and a total of 100 thousand TL in prizes was to be distributed.