Int’l Festival of Language and Culture takes stage at European Parliament


Date posted: June 3, 2016

Fifty children from different countries took stage at Espace Leopold, the European Parliament’s main complex in Brussels, Belgium, as part of the 14th International Festival of Language and Culture on Thursday.

A number of European Parliament (EP) deputies and bureaucrats, including Gabriele Preuss, attended the event organized under the patronage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Speaking during the event, EP deputy İsmail Ertuğ said that the festival has a key role in establishing peace across the world. “Hosting this event is a source of pride for me, because it [the festival] unites students from around the world and they form a dialogue here. We can see that their performances today embraced all the principles of the European Union,” Ertuğ said.

Antonio Tajani, a vice-president of EP, sent a message to the event, stating that it is an outstanding example of mutual understanding and tolerance. Tajani also hosted the children who performed there in his office and gave them presents.

The International Festival of Language and Culture first started in 2003 in Turkey as Turkish Olympiads. The festival is dedicated to the cultivation and education of youth and the creation of a platform to share cultural heritage with peers around the world.

The first 11 editions of the event were hosted in Turkey, but due to government hostility and the ongoing persecution of the Gülen, or Hizmet, movement — that is involved in organizing the culture festival — the organizers have decided to hold the event in various countries since 2014 to avoid potential problems.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the Hizmet movement of attempting to overthrow his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, but has failed to present evidence to support his allegation.

The International Festival of Language and Culture first started in 2003 with the participation of only 17 countries. Last year, however, more than 2,000 participants from 145 countries took part in the event.

The festival brings together hundreds of students from around the world each year. In 2014, the festival changed its name from International Turkish Language Olympiad to the International Language and Culture Festival.

Source: Turkish Minute , June 2, 2016


Related News

Turkey crackdown: Gulen sympathizers abroad are feeling the heat

Turkey’s relentless pursuit of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen’s supporters during the past four months – both at home and abroad – has now resulted in Turkish military personnel serving at NATO bases seeking asylum, fearing persecution if they return home.

Disregard call to close Turkish schools – Proprietors tell Nigerian govt

Owners of the Nigeria Turkish International College have urged Nigeria to disregard the call by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Cakil, to close its schools in the country.

Grade 12 Pupil Receives A Bronze Medal At 61st International Maths Ambassador

A GRADE 12 pupil from Soweto has become the country’s first black pupil to garner a bronze medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Kgaogelo Bopape from Horizon International School in Johannesburg earned a bronze medal at the 61st International Mathematical Olympiad.

The AK Party versus the Gülen Community

MUSTAFA AKYOL These days, the hottest topic in Turkey is the growing tension between the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government and the Fethullah Gülen Movement, a powerful Islamic community with millions of followers and a large civil society presence. In fact, these two powerful forces, “the party” and the “the community,” used to be […]

Documents expose plot to hold Hizmet responsible for KPSS cheating

The Zaman daily has published documents which reveal that a plot was devised to unjustly hold the members of the Hizmet Movement responsible for a cheating scandal at the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) in 2010.

The Gulen Institute Youth Platform has announced its fifth international essay contest

The Gulen Institute Youth Platform, which is located in Texas, has announced its fifth international essay contest, which is open to all high school students in grades 9th through 12th currently enrolled in public or private schools from all over the world.  Students are invited to address global challenges and propose potential solutions based on […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

US Congressional Record: President Erdogan’s Assault on the Human Rights of the Turkish People

‘Gülen movement has a specific mission’

Kimse Yok Mu launches a bakery for Sudanese orphans

Another Police Chief Jailed Over Alleged Gülen Links Dies In Turkish Prison

What befell Niyazi-i Misri in the past is happening to Fethullah Gülen now

Hate Speech is Undermining Turkey’s Fragile Democracy

Raindrop Turkish House Featured in New York Times

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News