Culture minister Çelik celebrates Jazz Day

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik speaks at a reception held before the beginning of the International Jazz Day in Istanbul. AA photo

Before Istanbul hosted the second UNESCO International Jazz Day yesterday, Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik held a reception on April 29 at Çırağan Palace.

He said the artists attending the event had participated in many festivals around the world. “All of them are making efforts for world peace. I thank them all.”

The minister said the event was one of the proudest ones organized with UNESCO. “Jazz is a call for peace and Istanbul is hosting it. If jazz turned into a city, it would be Istanbul; if Istanbul turned into a type of music, it would be jazz. My country is such a miracle that it is both Balkan and Asian; it is both Islamic and European; it is a Mediterranean and Black Sea and Middle Eastern country. When you hear the sound of a citizen on the street, you can hear the common language of this geography.”

Political project

Also speaking about the “International Project of Alliance of Civilizations,” initiated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his then Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Zapatero in 2005, Çelik said, “We think that this project is the most important political project that fits the soul of jazz.”

UNESCO Director Irina Bokova said Istanbul was the city of tolerance, history, cultural heritage and modernity, and they had never hesitated to organize the event there. “Jazz is freedom for us. It is the creativity of humanity and intercultural dialogue.”