2024 Republic Day Celebrations
It’s been said that “a nation that forgets its past has no future”, and that is why we continue to celebrate and remember Türkiye’s Republic Day, and this year it was with a triple header.
Once again, ORTA went above and beyond and put together not one, but three celebrations to commemorate the 101-year anniversary of the Republic.
Things got started on October 20th at Tyson Center in Hillsboro with a Daytime Celebration hosted by raising young talent Ipek Ozturk and Emir Tekoglu. The event focused on 3 cultural aspects:
MUSIC helps preserve cultural heritage by passing down traditional music from generation to generation. Music also reflects values, history and aspiration of a community. Turkish band ParaDox delighted the audience with Turkish classics and modern tunes showing the Turkish diversity.
LITERATURE acts as a mirror to society, allowing people to understand their own culture and explore others through the lens of stories, thus promoting empathy, critical thinking and a broader worldview. Writer Yasemin Alptekin talked about her latest book and inspired guests with her message about perseverance and achieving goals.
HISTORY can tell a lot about the present reality of a culture’s values and norms. The Tyson Center was surrounded by an elegant display of scenes from Türkiye’s most important historic moments from the Ottoman to modern days.
The celebration continued October 26 with the traditional Gala Dinner that took place in an exclusive venue in downtown Portland.
Madam President took the stage with a powerful speech about the importance of ORTA’s mission and the role members play with their contributions to the improvement of our community. She talked about the evolution of ORTA’s management and the series of unprecedented community events that were organized through the year, reminding us, that “together, we are better”. Read her full speech HERE.
History and progress in women’s rights were the themes of keynote speaker Oya Kara who shared important learnings through the lens of her personal story and that of her ancestors.
Our youth representatives, Maya Dietrich and Ali Baran Baykal surprised guests with a fresh perspective on the importance of remembering one’s roots.
Of course, music and dancing were at the center of the event. Demet Tuncer delivered a beautiful jazz segment of American classics, in English, showcasing our diversity as a multicultural community. Ilhan Ozulu took everyone off their seats with some Turkish classics nobody could resist to dance, not to mention with his DJ skills the whole night! And Cem Inan delighted the audience with an exquisite piano recital. The cheery on top was the Turkish Diamonds lead by Sebnem Ozturk performing traditional Turkish folklore.
Throughout the night, MCs Sila Baykal and Dylan Bollard seamlessly manage the flow of the show while entertaining the audience with witty remarks.
Check out the Photo Gallery that includes professional work from our Chief Photographer Officer Hakan Kutgun. Check out also the gallery of apprentice star Okan Kutgun (yes, Hakan’s son)
To close with “Altın vuruş”, and precisely on October 29, the skies over Portland cleared out to let the Morrison Bridge light up with the colors of the Turkish flag. White and Red colored the Willamette for an unforgettable night. Dozens of friends joined in a short stroll by the river waving their white and red wands. Thanks to Ali Baran Baykal for working with city officials to make this happen!
Combined, these three events brought together hundreds of people, including members and non-members, showing the power of community building. This three-chapter celebration was indeed unprecedented and will live in everyone’s memories forever.