Date of creation: 1990
c/o Uluslararasi Kukla ve Gölge Oyunlari Birligi
Konur Sok n° 64 - Bakanliklar
ANKARA
Turkey
+90 (0)312 419 48 11 / G.S.M: +90 (0)533 164 33 00
Presentation
Brief history
Our foreign friends, knowing the tradition of shadow and puppet theatre in our country, encouraged the establishment of a Turkish national Centre. This situation was discussed by the Ministry of Culture in the First National Culture Council in 1982 and it was decided by the Council of Ministers to found Turkey’s national UNIMA Centre and confirm its membership of international UNIMA in September 1990. The Centre aims to promote Turkish puppet and shadow theatre arts in Turkey and in other countries, to research, develop, protect and keep alive these arts. It has realized most of these aims, including the protection of artists’ rights.
Important projects and achievements
UNIMA Turkey published a DVD Set of Classical Karagöz Performances through a contribution from the Ministry of Culture. Associated with several partners, such as the UNESCO Turkey National Commission, it helped to organize in 2013 an international shadow theatre festival and a round-table conference to celebrate the anniversary of Karagöz’ classification as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 2009, it was accredited for the 4th Session of Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in Abu Dhabi. In 2008, an action plan was prepared in the KARAGÖZ WORKSHOP with the participation of representatives of relevant institutions & organizations, representatives of NGO, artists, researchers and scientists in Ankara.
