Special Women’s Bazaar in the City Center
Meryem Akalan and her friends, who established a book café in the city center that caters only to women, decided to support Palestine more after the anti-Israel protests and marches they participated in. To this end, Akalan and her team began organizing a charity bazaar every Wednesday, selling various products.
The bazaar features meals and handmade textiles that women have carefully cooked in their homes. In addition, local shopkeepers contribute to this solidarity by sending products from their shops. The daily income from this bazaar is distributed to Palestine through soup kitchens and various institutions.
The cafe’s manager, Meryem Akalan, told AA that they were doing their best to support Palestinians under occupation. Stating that they had been holding the bazaar for four weeks, Akalan said, “Palestine, which is on the agenda, is a subject that hurts us. While thinking with my friends, ‘What can we do?’ we said, ‘Why don’t we donate our one-day income?’ Then we took action and organized a charity bazaar to receive support from women and tradesmen Every Wednesday, we send the income we earn from the bazaar to Palestine.”He spoke as follows.
Akalan emphasized that citizens showed great interest in the charity bazaar and that tradesmen supported them by sending products according to the sector they work in. Explaining that they came together with this solidarity, Akalan continued his words as follows: “The obligation of sending something regularly from one’s own pocket every week can be challenging. However, when we act collectively, it becomes easier to donate a certain amount every week. We send the aid from here directly to Palestine. With the awareness that financial support is more important, we turn the clothes or aid given into money and send them. We are not limited to the charity bazaar; people from outside the city who hear about this activity also donate approximately 10-15 thousand liras per week. .”
Akalan stated that they learned the following during the charity bazaar: “Things that a person cannot afford to do become easier with collective action, and the delivery of aid becomes more effective. We are making an effort to put the Palestinian issue on our agenda. This is all we can do, and I request all our “brothers who can afford it to participate in such events. God willing, we will continue this work until these oppressions end, and we hope to think of much more comprehensive projects in the future.”
Solidarity and Support
Zehra Eren, who attended the charity bazaar with food she cooked at home, expressed her deep sorrow for the people who were displaced and oppressed in Palestine. Eren, “We are showing a nice solidarity here. I used to come here before, but when I saw such an event being held here, I thought, ‘What can I do?’ “I made some food like pastries at home and brought them. We should mobilize in this area with whatever we can. I support as much as I can financially and with my abilities.”He spoke as follows.
11-year-old Mevsim Çürük stated that she attended the charity bazaar with her mother, “I feel so sorry for the children in Palestine. That’s why I support the charity bazaar by using the pocket money in my piggy bank.”“The participation of young people in such events once again demonstrates the importance of social solidarity,” he said.
