To Be a World Citizen

The GAPGENÇ Festival held every year in one of nine provinces in Turkey’s Southeast Anatolia (GAP) region is taking place this year in Siirt Province May 4–7. Organized by youth houses tied to the GAP Regional Development Administration and GAP Administration, the festival is being supported by more than twenty institutions and nongovernmental organizations.

The first occurrence of the festival was held in Mardin with the theme “Sharing for Change.” The theme for the second festival, held in Batman, was “Cultural Faces,” and the third—held last year in Gaziantep—had the theme “Volunteering.” The theme for this year’s festival, which will welcome close to 1,500 participants from Turkey and many regions around the world, is “Global Citizenship.” The festival aims to reach visitors with events in all branches of art, and its intense program features workshops, summits, and panels as well.

Another notable characteristic of the festival is that 250 people are carried to the area where the festival is being held on a train that leaves from Istanbul every year.

To access detailed information about the festival, see: www.gapgenc.org