Social and cultural activities during the pandemic: Konya model

1. Konya and culture

The population of Konya (Turkey) is around 2.3 million, in a surface area of 41,001 km2. Described as a granary with its leadership in agriculture, Konya has also become an industry and trade centre. Today, Konya is one of the locomotive cities of Turkey with its 9 Organized Industrial Zones, 15 R&D Centres, a seed production capacity of 233 thousand tons, industrial production in 80 different branches and exports of 1 billion 330 million dollars.

Approximately 2.5 million tourists visit Konya annually. Konya is a 10.000-year-old city which has always nourished the traditions and culture it bears. Social and cultural activities have brought together individuals living in society since prehistoric times, and they have also been used as a tool to prevent separations and conflicts by facilitating cohesion and acting together for a common purpose.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, social coexistence has been interrupted, long-term isolation and quarantine processes have adversely affected the psychological health of individuals. Encouraging social and cultural activities to eliminate these devastating effects of the pandemic has been an important source of motivation for the City of Konya.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, social coexistence has been interrupted, long-term isolation and quarantine processes have adversely affected the psychological health of individuals.

2. Project goals and implementation

2.1. Main goal and specific objectives

The aim of the project is to reduce the psychological problems caused by the pandemic by using technological tools to promote online cultural activities.

2.2. Project development

During the preparation process of the project, the City ensured first that the necessary technical infrastructure was created, since there was not enough technological infrastructure to implement the project within the municipality.

Then, the City of Konya started the following programmes:

1. Educating Movie Project: Konya Metropolitan Municipality has been working on a teaching and educating project for students who have to stay at home due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Fifty (50) episodes called “Bilim Bakalım” movies were posted on Municipality’s YouTube channel. This series is designed to raise an interest in science by introducing the most riveting issues of the science world. The aim was to provide an educating content for the students.
2. Digital Library: in the Digital Library that has already been introduced by the Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality has enriched its online collection with puppet theatre and Stories from Mathnawi: A Shadow Puppetry, the first one in Turkey.
3. Culture & Arts at Home: People of Konya have enjoyed literature talks by Hayati İnanç, an influential Turkish writer, and the poems of Serdar Tuncer on Metropolitan Municipality’s YouTube channel.
4. Science at Home: Konya Metropolitan Municipality has been posting videos with scientific content under the theme of “Stay in with Science” for students staying at home due to a new variant of the coronavirus pandemic and for science enthusiasts.
5. Virtual Tour of the Konya Science Centre: The Centre can be explored via the virtual tour service since the centre has been shut down due to the new variant of the coronavirus pandemic. This tour enables the science enthusiasts to examine the Science Centre in depth online.
6. Special Youth Janissary Band Conquered Hearts/Blessed Souls: Members of the Band performed an anthem at their homes for the Disability Awareness Week.
7. Online Theatre Surprise from Vocational School of Konya for the Youth (KOMEK): While the students of KOMEK Youth had a productive summer break, the Municipality surprised them with online theatre performances during classes. Historical figures such as İbn-i Sina, the father of modern medicine, and Safiye Hüseyin, the first female nurse, suddenly show up in online classrooms and start talking with the students about epidemics and how to fight them.
8. Art for Environment: As part of School of Civilization Project, Konya Metropolitan Municipality is informing the 4th and 5th graders throughout the city about water-saving, Zero Waste and recycling through surprise theatre performances. It is planned that these plays will reach up to 75.000 students at 1.215 schools in 31 districts.

The aim of the project is to reduce the psychological problems caused by the pandemic by using technological tools to promote online cultural activities.

3. Impacts

3.1. Direct impacts

The municipality has reached approximately 200,000 people during the project, based on the viewing times of the online broadcasts. Since the broadcasts are still on different platforms, the audience numbers are increasing day by day.

3.2. Assessment

The evaluation is based on the viewing times of the videos (total number of views exceeds 200,000). These figures mean that the project appeals to more individuals than other activities carried out within the municipality. The viewers shared their feedback in the comments of the videos.

3.3. Key factors

The key aspects that ensured the success of the project are a strong technological infrastructure, the content of educational activities, the quality of cultural activities, and the number of citizens reached. For example, the content of our educational activities was created with the help of pedagogues and teachers who are experts in their fields. The theatre content was created by professionals of the City Theatre and the Konya State Theatre in order to create a quality content.

3.4. Continuity

It is planned to increase the activities held in the next stages of the project to include different kinds of cultural activities. In addition, the City is planning to take the activities of KOMEK, which was established in 2004, where our metropolitan municipality offers cultural, sports, and instructive, lessons and activities, and which annually benefits approximately to 60,000 students, to the online environment.

Encouraging social and cultural activities to eliminate the devastating effects of the pandemic has been an important source of motivation for the city of Konya.

4. Further information

Konya was a candidate for the fifth “UCLG – Mexico City – Culture 21” International Award (February – June 2022). The jury for the award drew up its final report in September 2022, and requested that the Committee on Culture promote this project as one of the good practices to be implemented through Agenda 21 for culture.

This article was written by Selim Yücel GÜLEÇ, Head of Foreign Relations Department, Konya, Turkey.

Contact: frd (at) konya.bel.tr

Website: www.konya.bel.tr