Piero Castellano italian photographer and journalist in Ankara came to Turkey in 2007 and is staying here till nowadays. Of course he often goes back to Italy, but most of time Piero spends in capital of Turkey. He worked in Spain, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Poylenias, Chile and Venezeula. So what on earth he is here for?
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| Photographer Piero Castellano |
Why did you decide to come to Turkey?
I came to Turkey
by chance, for just one month. Of course, I knew about the beauty of the
country, but still its variety surprised me. As I’ve been travelling around the
country, I noticed so many diversities, such peculiar traditions and
landscapes, that I realized that Turkey is a gold mine for a photographer. Soon
I got to appreciate Turkish way of life, and the way they keep customs alive
that once were common to the entire Mediterranean area, so I decided to settle
down here.
Was it difficult to blend in at the beginning?
In spite of many
cultural and daily life differences, I have to say “no, it wasn’t”. The only
oddity was, and still is, how difficult is to be a single male in Turkey, being
seen as a potential sexual predator by women, couples and male “competitors”:
in many bars, men are not allowed without female company, and of course, this
makes finding new friends very hard. On the other side, once inside of a circle
of friends, it is like being a part of a family. But still a “yabanci”, a
stranger more than a foreigner.
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| Istanbul, the owner of a makeshift shooting gallery recover his targets from the sea |
You are living here from 2007. How did country change
during this period?
It has changed a
lot.
On one side, the
quality of life has improved indeed. Prices have increased, and so, apparently
consumption. But on the other side, polarization has also increased, not only
between poor and rich, but also between different sections of the society. The
press was much more outspoken about criticizing the government, now it looks
self-restrained, and this is not surprising, considering many attacks on the
Media, and the number of journalists in jail. Minorities were much more
visible, until just a couple of years ago, now they are more discreet. For
example, it was common to see the “sword of Ali”, an Alevi religious symbol,
exhibited as jewelry or ornament. Now it has almost disappeared. Some topics
like the right for abortion, and other women rights, that used to be taken for
granted, now are widely debated. Also, the number of head scarved women visible
in the streets has sharply increased, and if this can be seen as an effect of
more tolerance towards religious people, it can also be seen as a turn to a
more conservative society.
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| Ankara, kids go dancing toward the 1st May celebration concert |
How did Turkey change you?
I am definitely
more polite! Aside from personal habits, like meals time, food or entertainment
preferences, the attitude towards both strangers and friends is affected by
Turkish hospitality and politeness. But this can also include some level of
cautiousness, lest I offend somebody with excessive confidence.
Have you faced any dangerous situations?
Traffic. Though
used to drive in Naples, Turkey’s driving habits can be a tough test for
European driver. Roads in bad conditions can also be a danger, especially in
villages and in the East. And to take pictures of street kids in Istanbul,
often under influence of substances, was a frightening experience. There was
also a very sad accident, when a Turkish Air Force training jet crashed into
the sea just dozens of meters from me: the two pilots did not eject to avoid crashing
on the street killing people, that is to say, me.
Do you plan to stay here for long?
I don’t know
yet, much will depend on how the country will change, and how I will feel here.
For the moment, this would be my intention.
Do you think Turkey will ever become more European?
Turkey is
already the European country. It has always been. Though this is difficult to
accept for many people in Europe, and also for many Turks, the Republic of
Turkey, and even the Ottoman Empire have always been a part of Europe bridging
Christian and “Western” cultures with the East, and the Northern and Russian
ones with the Mediterranean world. Some clear division existed only in both
sides propaganda. The issue is about modernization, and as in every country
that has undergone periods of forced and quick modernization (let’s think for
example to Japan), conservative values become a shelter for many, especially in
the family sphere. But in business, cultural and public life spheres, Turkey is
more advanced than many “European” countries.
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| Ankara, masters of Shadow Theater perform a Karagoz&Hacivat show |
What do you love and what do hate mostly about this
country? How does religion influence this country?
I love almost
everything about Turkey.
The food is
excellent, people are friendly and polite, uniquely hospitable and everything
is clean and well organized. Land and seascapes are marvelous, transportation is
quite easy, the work ethics – very strong. Of course, I notice many problems,
like widespread poverty and sadly, environmental issues. Though much is being
done to alleviate poverty, and even the poorest can afford to live with some
decorum, the environment protection is not considered a priority.
The only thing I
really hate about Turkey is its bureaucracy. It is not worse than others, like
the Italian one (possibly the worst in the world) but in Turkey it is actually
the one thing that just does not work. While some rules are inexplicable, every
department or directorate ignores what the others do, and even in the same
department, especially in the Custom, different officers ask for different
requirements or give different explanations. To meet English speaking personnel
is a stroke of luck, even in the Foreigners Section of the Police. Remarkably,
when I asked for information via email to the “Custom and Foreign Trade
Office”, their answer was “Başvurular Türkçeyapılmalı.”, literally “Inquiries
should be asked in Turkish.” The feeling of any foreigner forced to deal with
bureaucracy is mostly of being bullied for no apparent reason. But most of the
personnel are, at least, very kind.
Religion is one
of the key values that keep the country together. In spite of recent, in my
opinion unfortunate, developments, it does not influence too much the young
Turks life or career choices, especially for the most educated ones.
Unfortunately, repressions of the past have generated a revanchist spirit that
pushes towards a commingling of religion with secular law, which is obviously incomprehensible
to Western eyes, and inacceptable to any secularist in Turkey. Some statements
also have an intimidating effect, especially with regard of alcohol
consumption, becoming less acceptable in public, thus increasing in private,
where it is less controlled and can bring serious problems.
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| Cappadocia, four Turkish women |
What kind of pictures do you take here? What can we
learn about Turkey from your pictures?
I mostly try to
focus on traditions, folklore, craftsmanship, and street life. Archaeology, as
the footprint of History, is also a common topic for me. I try to avoid
controversial issues, but of course, demonstrations against the ban of
abortion, or for rights of minorities, are a professional duty, and cannot be
avoided.
I think my
pictures show glimpses of a modern country, struggling to keep its peculiar
identity, through the attachment to traditional events, arts or way of life and
jealously proud of its History.
Do you think you found a key to Turkish culture? What
is it?
If there is one
key to understand modern Turkey’s culture, I think it’s through its history,
and history teaches that Turkey is a mosaic of different customs: one people,
made of many, many different cultures that blend into a unique mix. Some of the
values keeping this people together are now in discussion, because of tragedies
of the past, or the challenge of modernization. But people are strong, and I am
optimist about the outcome of this challenge.
What do your parents think about your decision?
