Remember the Republic on June 13, 2026!

You may have listened to Fikret Kızılok's album 'Bir Devrimcinin Güncesi' (Diary of a Revolutionary). If you haven't listened to it yet, give it a listen immediately. The 9th song on the album... 'La Vie est Bréve'... In Turkish, 'Life is Short.' It is said to be a poem translated by Atatürk. While this song is being sung, two anecdotes are told: one about a Bulgarian peasant saying, 'Bulgaria prospers with my taxes and is protected by my rifle,' and another about a conversation between Atatürk and his lover regarding women's rights. As the song says... 'la vie est bréve un peu de reve'... That is, 'Life is Short, A Little Dream...' 

Atatürk, his comrades-in-arms, his classmates, the young fedayeen of the Committee of Union and Progress... they had a dream. That dream came true. The Turkish peasant chose to be a citizen rather than a subject. The Turkish woman tore off and cast aside the veil of patriarchal darkness. 

We live with a sense of pride that is somewhat justified. As if we were the ones who liberated ourselves... Yet we found it ready-made. Yet it is right beside us. In the home of our next-door neighbor, the story of the Turkish woman's liberation and her emergence onto the stage of history lives on. 

Our neighbor... Turkish female mathematician Prof. Dr. Billur Kaymakçalan... continues to bring Turkish female mathematicians together, to unite them, and to help them grow. Her 102-year-old mother, Prof. Dr. Sabahat Kaymakçalan, is Turkey's first female cardiologist. Her story is no longer confined within four walls. Her story no longer echoes only in lecture halls. 

Citizens in Ankara will now be able to get to know her. An invitation has been issued for the gala screening of the documentary titled 'The Woman Who Touches Hearts,' which tells the life story of Turkey's first female cardiologist, Prof. Dr. Sabahat Kaymakçalan. The gala event for the documentary, prepared with the slogan 'A Life Dedicated to Science,' will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the Doğan Taşdelen Contemporary Arts Center in Ankara. 

https://12punto.com.tr/kultur-sanat/prof-dr-sabahat-kaymakcalanin-yasam-oykusu-belgesel-oldu-140641

I am lucky. Those I know, my neighbors, my professors, and my friends... they are all products of the Republic. It is not that there aren't those of us who remain in the shadows where the light of the Republic could not reach. But now, we all have an opportunity. We will be able to fully watch the living, breathing proof that the Republic is a virtue. 

Life is Short... A Little Dream... Even a little bit of it illuminated the darkness. The Republic achieved great things in a difficult time. Let us remember, let us bear witness... The light of the Republic continues to shine despite all obstacles.