We listened to four Power Stories from four storytellers
We listened to Muhal Leventeli İkikardeş, who has made inequalities her cause due to her background, about the discrimination she faced as a child, how she learnt during her work as a lawyer in Adana that there are different ways to fight against injustice and stand up in the field of rights, and how to deal with inequalities.
After Muhal, Özlem Arman spoke about the children in the hospital. Özlem, who founded the "Mutlu Olalım (Let's Be Happy)" project and has been working with her volunteer team for 23 years to ensure that the children in Izmir's state and university hospitals are not only physically but also mentally healthy during their treatments, told the stories of the children who receive long-term treatment in hospital. Özlem, who was once one of these children herself, continues to knit solidarity with her own hands for the happiness of the children undergoing treatment.
We listened to Filiz Sakallı talk about how she spent her life in Hatay, how most women made sacrifices for their loved ones and how she was changed by the earthquake on 6 February. We heard how her life turned upside down in 90 seconds and how she now tries to live and hold on to life in Hatay by telling special stories to children and women's communities. We heard an important story of strength with the message "It's never too late' about our freedom of choice in our lives from Filiz, who realised her advancing age and what she had missed in life and started doing what she had been putting off.
And the fourth narrator, Derya Savita Altay… We heard a powerful story about housework, the invisible form of labor, from Derya, who describes herself as a traveller with a heart. Derya recounted her experiences as a cleaner in a male-dominated work environment, how she fought back against the injustices she faced and how she became an entrepreneur. Derya sincerely shared that she got to know civil society better during her Power Stories trainings and that she had the idea to continue her struggle in an organised way.
Power Stories will continue in Diyarbakır under the title "Yokuş Yol'a" (To the Slope)
On Wednesday, 3 July 2024, three storytellers will tell their own stories at Diyarbakır DİTAV between 20:00 and 22:00. In the event titled To the Slope, we will hear the story of the unregistered traces of those who search for their roots in exile, in nature and on the borders. We will follow the traces of different lives from Çanakkale to Van, from Diyarbakır to Ankara.
What are Power Stories Meetings?
Power Stories is the name for our meetings where we tell and listen to our own stories. As civil society workers, volunteers and enthusiasts, we come together for storytelling. At Power Stories", we hear first-hand real stories that have emerged in different channels of the civic sphere, reflect together with the storytellers' stories, and talk about how we can move forward together on the difficult paths that lead to change.
