On Friday, March 11, 2022, Panel on the Voice of Nation, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the Turkish National Anthem was held at IUS. The event was held in hybrid mode with panelists from Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The opening speech was given by the IUS Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım, who welcomed the participants emphasizing the importance of remembering significant people who have contributed to the Turkish culture and heritage we know of today. The guest speaker was Prof. Dr. İlhan Genç from Düzce University who talked about the life and work of Mehmet Akif Ersoy.
The focus of the event was on the life and work of Mehmed Akif Ersoy who was a Turkish poet, writer, academic and the author of the Turkish national anthem - İstiklal Marşı. The Turkish national anthem was adopted on March 12, 1921 and this year, the 101st anniversary of its adoption was celebrated.
The event was visited by a great number of prominent guests from Turkish institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina: His Excellency Sadık Babür Girgin, Turkish ambassador to BiH; Educational Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy, Mr. Faruk Berat Akçeşme; Director of Yunus Emre Institute in Mostar, Mr. Yunus Dilber; Director of Yunus Emre Institute in Sarajevo, Mr. Mehmet Akif Yaman and other distinguished guests, professors and students from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The event was organized in 2 sessions. The first session was moderated by Assistant Professor Dr. Mehmet Nuri Çınarcı who opened the session by presenting the panelists and their topics regarding the poetry of Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the Turkish national anthem. The panelists were Prof. Dr. Hakan Ülper from Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University; Prof. Dr. Alena Ćatović and Prof. Dr. Sabina Bakšić from University of Sarajevo and Assistant Professor Dr. İsmail Alper Kumsar from Düzce University.
The second session was moderated by Dr. Türkan Topçu from IUS who presented the panelists in this session: Prof. Dr. Amina Šiljak-Jesenković from the Oriental Studies Institute of the University of Sarajevo; Prof. Dr. Abidin Temizer from Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University; Assistant Professor Dr. Melinda Botalić from University of Tuzla and lecturer Dr. Muhammed İkbal Güler from Ondokuz Mayıs University.
