By Heidi Trautmann

Yes, it was about high time to celebrate the progress and success of the projects ÇADER, in close cooperation with the Belediye and village citizens, has achieved. Projects for the protection of the environment. Projects that were carried through with the full commitment of the ÇADER members, such as …

-Informing citizens and school classes how to avoid plastic and how to take care of the rest waste.

-Plastic is being collected and recycled.

-The management of garden waste, i.e. shredding and composting.

-The protection of birds and plants and information on the great variety on the island.

-Making aware how important they are for our health and wellbeing.

-Building of birdhouses in collaboration with parents and children.

-Planting trees and plants to invite bees and insects to come back to secure pollination.

I attended a press conference late last year where you find more information.

http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=7428352455#.YNLFFOgzaUk

Good reasons to celebrate. And we did, it was a true village festival, and it took me back to my own childhood. Children were enjoying themselves with simple games of skill, painting stones, and colouring images of our birds and plants, and older children were demonstrating how to separate house waste.  Later the children joined the grownups in dancing the beautiful folk dances…

There were some stands with typical local food and many guests gathered around the big pot to get their share. Also the sweet tooth found plenty to fill it with. The stands with handmade ceramic artworks and jewellery, and also the beautiful handmade ÇADER bags, were frequented the most.

Pervin Özgeçen, the president of the association, opened the festival together with the members of the board of directors, while in the background the musicians were ready to continue their music, with a song Cemal Özgürsel (guitar) has composed, the ÇADER song, and the members came forward together with children to sing this song, now their own song, supported by Ahmet Akarsu on the violin.  And then Pervin Özgeçen opened the dancefloor….

The evening continued with bingo, something I have never done before, and there were in the end happy winners of a lot of prizes. I was not among the lucky ones lacking practice.

A lovely evening, up there in the old mountain village of Çatalköy, where nature and culture has found a secure place.