KADEM Art Introduced the Book “Women in Life”
Lawyer Canan Sarı: “We aim to support our struggle and discourse for women’s rights through art.”
KADEM Art introduced the book “Women in Life,” featuring the top 20 stories from the ‘Story Competition,’ to the literary world at the Rami Library. The Literary Meeting included a panel discussion on ‘Women’s Stories in Literature,’ with Cihan Aktaş and Funda Özsoy E. as guests.
KADEM Art, established by the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM) to address women’s issues from an artistic perspective, brought together story enthusiasts at the Literary Meeting held at the Rami Library in Istanbul.
In the competition themed “Women in Life” organized by KADEM Art, stories were submitted on topics such as ‘Women,’ ‘Women’s rights,’ ‘The place of women in society,’ ‘Sharing responsibilities, women’s solidarity,’ ‘Civil women’s movements,’ ‘Women and justice,’ and ‘Women’s access to equal opportunities.’ The competition received nearly 700 entries, and the top 20 stories selected were published by KADEM Publications under the title “Women in Life,” introducing them to the literary world.
In the opening speech of the Literary Meeting, KADEM Vice President Av. Canan Sarı stated, “With our KADEM Art activities, we aim to support our struggle and discourse for women’s rights through art. Art is a very powerful language that speaks inclusively and embraces all humanity. Through this universal language, we rediscover the world of women each time. We are able to reach large audiences. We can come together around universal values related to humanity, such as rights, justice, goodness, and grace.”
Av. Sarı noted that “Women in Life” is the first storybook published by KADEM Publications and expressed the hope that this work would inspire and encourage young writers, and lead to the creation of many more women’s stories.
KADEM Art’s Literary Meeting also hosted the panel discussion ‘Women’s Stories in Literature,’ moderated by KADEM Board Member and Director of the FSMVU Social Research and Application Center, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Kevser Şerefoğlu Danış, with authors Cihan Aktaş and Funda Özsoy E. as guests.
In the panel discussion, seasoned author Cihan Aktaş, who has spent over 40 years in the literary world and was also a jury member for the story competition, emphasized the excitement she felt about the submitted works. She said, “The stories submitted to the competition are very beautiful and valuable. I call this a cascade of stories. With this cascade, perhaps the peace, justice, and tranquility we need will come in the future.
Aktaş touched on the challenges she faced as a female writer. “Throughout history, women have assumed a self-sacrificing role in their stories as well,” said Cihan Aktaş, adding, “While writing my first storybook, I felt a pressure as if thousands of eyes were watching me, but the literary consciousness I had developed since childhood protected me.”
Cihan Aktaş noted that female writers are not easily accepted by society. “For many female writers, writing what they feel has been a cause for accusation. One of the characters in my latest novel, Cevriye Banu, burned her writings out of fear of being misunderstood. Women are not encouraged to write and are made to feel guilty for doing so. How can language be liberated in the prison of theory? Many women who love to write stories give up out of fear that others will think they are revealing their inner world. I come from the headscarf struggle in this country. Every sentence of devout female writers, in particular, is scrutinized,” she said. Cihan Aktaş also announced for the first time during this discussion the upcoming release of her new book titled Kamerun.
Funda Özsoy E., humorously explained that being a woman in the literary world can sometimes lead to being overlooked, but it can also provide a space for freedom. She said, “I am someone whose books have been published by publishers like Türk Edebiyatı, Dergah, and Ötüken, but I have never been visible. Perhaps it was better for me not to be in the spotlight to be free and write freely. Therefore, I wrote comfortably because I hid myself physically. There was a perception that the intellectual world was monopolized by male dominance. In the past, women were often positioned as the ‘objects’ of literature. They could stand out in the role of motherhood or as authors of children’s books. Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own,’ published in the 1920s, is the most concrete reaction to this situation. However, when we can establish a different language as men and women, we can step outside the system.”
At the event, Cihan Aktaş, who has spent 40 years in the field of storytelling, was presented with 40 gifts prepared by women, each with symbolic value. The Literary Meetings concluded with a ‘family photo’ of KADEM executives, members, and the writers who participated in the story competition.
KADEM Art, which organizes competitions on themes such as Women in Life, Family and Father, City and Woman, Earth and Woman, Migration and Woman, aims to strengthen the relationship between women and art through photography, painting, scriptwriting, short film, and story competitions, and to leave a high-quality art archive for the future.
