‘One hundred programmes are being organized this year in the cultural season launched on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Türkiye,’ Péter Hoppál, the government commissioner responsible for the preparation and implementation of the Hungarian–Turkish cultural season announced on public radio.
The commissioner expressed: ‘With one hundred programmes, we pay tribute this year to the century-old diplomatic relations between the two countries.’ Among the cultural programmes, he mentioned the republication of Hungarian literary works translated into Turkish in recent decades, under the auspices of the Petőfi Literary Museum in Türkiye.
As Hoppál outlined, various artistic branches will showcase the current state of Hungarian creative and performing arts, complemented by scientific programmes, conferences, university collaborations, exhibitions presenting Hungarian visual arts—both contemporary and that of the past two hundred years—and even sports will be included in the programmes. ‘We aim to showcase as much as possible of ourselves
to provide a nuanced understanding of Hungarian culture within Turkish society,’
the commissioner stated. Hoppál disclosed that the programmes of the 2024 Hungarian–Turkish cultural season will run concurrently in the two countries for one year.
The cultural season was inaugurated on 18 December 2023, with a celebratory event hosted at Müpa Budapest. Péter Hoppál recalled that following the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye, the country’s first diplomatic relations were forged with Hungary under the leadership of President Kemal Atatürk. As he mentioned, over the past century, Hungary has provided significant assistance to the emerging Republic of Türkiye and its capital, Ankara. Consequently, there are warm feelings towards Hungarians and Hungary. He also noted that after our lost revolutions, Hungarian emigrants went to Türkiye, including the heroes of the 1848 revolution led by Governor Lajos Kossuth.
Hoppál emphasized that the Hungarian–Turkish relationship is deeply rooted,
with a significant number of our words having Turkish origins.
Moreover, both nations have adopted aspects of each other’s style of ornamentation and decoration, and in the past century, diplomatic relations showcased unprecedented examples of cooperation and friendship.
‘Naturally, we Hungarians associate our painful history with the Turks, including the 150 years of Turkish occupation, but this cultural season makes a bold attempt to promote our cultural convergence,’ the commissioner said. He also mentioned that one of the oldest layers of Hungarian folk music is of ancient Turkish origin, and highlighted the great attention paid by Turkic countries to the memory of our most renowned poet, Sándor Petőfi.
In the interview, Hoppál also discussed the Balassi Codex discovered 150 years ago, stating that Bálint Balassi’s legacy also proves that 16th-century Hungarian literature helped the preservation of Hungarian identity during the period when the country was divided into three parts. He pointed out that among Balassi’s verses, there are numerous Turkish songs. Finally, Hoppál stated that the cooperation between state media and literary institutions of the two countries will play a significant role in creating a more nuanced understanding of each other’s literature and culture.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/Kossuth Radio/MTI
