President Erdoğan: Quality work cannot come from mediocre material

Erdoğan stated, "We are the continuation of a powerful civilization with the works we have produced in many fields of science, culture, and art." 

Highlights from the remarks of AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan:

-I am experiencing the joy of coming together with you on the occasion of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards presentation ceremony. In your person, I send my greetings and respects to all our artists who have opened brand new horizons for our world of culture and art with their valuable work, both in our country and abroad.

-I congratulate our scientists and cultural figures, our masters of art and craft, our masters of thought and literature, and their representatives, whose awards we will present shortly, individually on behalf of myself, my country, and my nation. I wish our award winners, who feed the cultural and artistic branches of our river of civilization that has crossed centuries, success in their future endeavors.

-I also express my gratitude to the committee representatives who determined the award winners through a comprehensive evaluation process. We are presenting awards in 8 separate categories. We are presenting our science and culture awards to Prof. Dr. Gönül Tekin and Prof. Dr. Günay Kut. Our professor Gönül Tekin has produced works that have made significant contributions to old Turkish literature. 

-Furthermore, our professor Günay Kut is also a respected scholar recognized on an international scale. He has provided significant services to Turkish culture. Kut, who has made important contributions especially in the fields of biography and manuscripts, has produced significant work for the international recognition of Turkish literature.

MUSIC AWARD WENT TO AHMET ÖZHAN

-We are presenting the literature award to Fatma Barbarosoğlu this year. As one of the names established in Turkish literature, she has addressed the relationship between modernism and tradition in her works, as well as the problems women face in society, with a sociological perspective. 

-The recipient of our music award this year is Ahmet Özhan. Having left 57 years behind in art, he has brought significant works to Turkish music with both his knowledge and experience. He has built solid bridges between the past and the future. 

-We are presenting our award in the field of theater to Turan Oflazoğlu this year.

-I congratulate Ramazan Minder, who played an important role in the modernization of our libraries through his activities for the maintenance and restoration of works in the Beyazıt State Library and his social space arrangements, and I express my gratitude to him.

-The recipient of our loyalty award this year was the master name of Turkish cinema, Halid Refiğ. In his half-century-long artistic life, he brought significant works to Turkish cinema as a producer, screenwriter, and director. Criticizing the cinema approach that takes the West as its basis, Refiğ advocated that our own values should be embedded in our cinema. 

"QUALITY WORK CANNOT COME FROM MEDIOCRE MATERIAL"

-I congratulate our artists and professors who won the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards. I also commemorate with gratitude our culture and art figures who are not among us today. Only works of culture and art convey reason, spirit, and messages to the future that are lasting.  

-Quality work cannot come from mediocre material; in this respect, we are a fortunate nation. We are the continuation of a powerful civilization with the works we have produced in many fields of science, culture, and art. This civilization has produced exemplary works that inspired other nations until just 3 centuries ago. We must revive this heritage and embrace the future very strongly. We see that neo-liberal cultural movements and digitalization are increasing their influence in our country as well. We must preserve our traditional arts. 

-We take care to crown everyone who feels a sense of belonging to these lands. Every artist who dedicates their life to enriching the heritage we have inherited has a special place in our hearts. As a state, we provide all the support we can to everyone who shares the concerns of this nation. In our view, our artists are great people. 

News Source: 12punto