Wind of Afro-Turk by Melike Çetin

From the Ottoman Empire until today, Turkey is a country that hosts the many different cultures. One of them, perhaps the lesser known, is the Afro-Turks. Since the 19th century, Black Turks or Afro-Turks, who came to the Ottoman Empire through slave trade, for work or for military service
Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

From the Ottoman Empire until today, Turkey is a country that hosts the many different cultures. One of them, perhaps the lesser known, is the Afro-Turks.

Since the 19th century, Black Turks or Afro-Turks, who came to the Ottoman Empire through slave trade, for work or for military service, are the grandchildren and children of the natives of Africa.

Origin of Afro-Turks comes from a wide variety of African countries such as Niger, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kenya, Sudan and so on. Some of them came from Crete following the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1923. Some of the African descendants returned to their country, rest of them settled into regions of the Aegean and Mediterranean in order to engage in agriculture.

Afro-Turks are a community that is totally assimilated from their origin and accepted Turkish culture. For that reason, they arrange the traditions like weddings and engagements according to Turkish tradition. The people, who are living in the village, speak with the Aegean accent and use Turkish names such as, Ayşe, Fatma, Sıla, Şakir, Esat, Durmuş, Adil, Ahmet and so on. They frequently chose province of Izmir, Muğla and Aydın. These people, who behave warm, friendly and hospitable, live in villages such as, Hasköy, Torbalı, Bayındır and Ödemiş, which are the district of Izmir. However, number of these citizens is not exactly known. The education level of Afro-Turk citizens, living in the villages, is the elementary and intermediate level. For those living in the city, the level of education and welfare is higher.

The Afro-Turks don’t come across great alienation in the villages. On the other hand, they face negative discourse more in the city. Especially, being called “Arab” disturbs them. They do not want to be defined as Arabs in society and define themselves as “African- Origin” Turks. Even the head of the Afro-Turkish Association, Şakir Doğuluer, claims that even a white couple’s children may be born black and in such a case, the ancestor of the one of the couples may be Afro-Turk. The number of Afro-Turks, marrying with white people is also increasing day by day. Therefore, skin colour of AfroTurks, which is their heritage, is progressively whitening.

African Turks work in variety of business fields. However, those who live in the villages need more employment opportunity in the business world. The Afro-Turk community does not have any political demands from the Turkish Government. They solely want to be more visible in the media and society, to claim their place in Turkish history and to provide more employment opportunity for their citizens… For that reason, they are carrying out international and national projects with Şakir Doğuluer who is the Head of the Association of Culture, Solidarity and Cooperation of the Africans. Especially, they are working together with the Afro-German Association. They are trying to introduce their own culture and history to as many people as possible. In this regard, every year in May, they start to celebrate their own spring festival named “Calf Festival / Dana Bayramı” with the support of Mustafa Olpak who is former head of association and writer. Within the context of this event organized in İzmir, wide range of panels and cortege marches are performed. They wear African traditional clothes and perform their march with their own cultural music. This festival, which lasts 2 days and is celebrated enthusiastically, is no longer sacrificed an animal as it was in the past years. Put it in a nutshell, the African wind is blowing in May every year in İzmir…

About Melike Çetin

Melike Çetin is a street photographer and story-teller whose work focuses on documentary and street life. She was born in 1996 in Istanbul. She studied Public Relations and Information. She started photography in 2012. She started her photography career as the asistant of photojournalist Nihat Karadağ. Her articles and photos have been published on national photography magazines and sites. She also had group exhibition “Sokaklarda/In The Streets” in Galata Photography House. She mainly focuses on daily life of people and cultural diversity in her projects. She lives in Istanbul, Turkey.

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

Wind of Afro-Turk | Melike Çetin

More Stories

I hunt wild art by C. E. Morse

I hunt wild art by C. E. Morse

My first go-to boneyard was Johnnie Monroe's in South Thomaston, Maine where I sourced parts for the Pontiac as well as a '29 Essex, a '41 Packard and a '54 Nash.
Through the noise by Daria Amaranth

Through the noise by Daria Amaranth

"Through the noise: voices, shades, reflections" is my new series of conceptual and fine art photographs which can be viewed separately but they are also parts of the whole story.
Fear Hidden in a Box by Alexander Lubomirskiy

Fear Hidden in a Box by Alexander Lubomirskiy

When I am afraid or feel that I am on edge, I leave for the world of fantasy. Closing my eyes, I seem to go out of my body and move as far away from myself as possible, to the place where I feel no pain or fear.
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/banner24.jpg

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

Portraits of the New Parisians by Victor Guerin

Portraits of the New Parisians by Victor Guerin

For as long as I can remember, I was always the one taking photos of my family and friends at parties and family reunions, using a disposable camera or an old, cheap 35mm. I just wanted to cover the walls of my bedroom, with photos of happy moments and memories.
Lanesborough by Karen Knorr

Lanesborough by Karen Knorr

Karen Knorr lived in Belgravia, London for a short period in the 1970’s her parent’s maisonette in Lowndes Square returning to photograph their friends for the series Belgravia (1979-1981).
The soul of Cristina Venedict

The soul of Cristina Venedict

I entered the world of photography and of the magic lens at a time when the real world, the world I was living in, didn’t offer me the freedom I needed. I had taken my degree, I was a psychologist and I felt like I wasn’t really myself, like that world wasn’t mine…
Interview with Lisa Bettany

Interview with Lisa Bettany

Lisa Bettany is a Canadian tech entrepreneur and one of the most influential photographers on the web. She is cofounder of the top-ranked photography iPhone app, Camera+ which has sold over 14 million copies and is the best-selling camera app of all-time.
Jan Møller Hansen – Social documentary

Jan Møller Hansen – Social documentary

Jan Møller Hansen is a self-taught and passionate photographer, who works with social documentary. He is also a senior diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Presently, he is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
We could be Heroes. Just for one day by Alain Licari

We could be Heroes. Just for one day by Alain Licari

A place on the edge of a deserted area, a little further away from the California State Road 111. According to the map, it’s a city. But in reality, it is not a city like any other.
Interview with Dejan Mijovic ; Finalist in our Black & White 2019

Interview with Dejan Mijovic ; Finalist in our Black & White 2019

A lot of quality photos I already made of my relatives. That means I did the opposite of how usually projects are made. After years of photographing my relatives and family and a lot of good photos of elders I decided that I have to do something with them.
Sacred journey to Mongolia by Victoria Knobloch

Sacred journey to Mongolia by Victoria Knobloch

It is well said, that the true source, the true human home can only by found within. Yet as humans we live in a world with outside phenomena and the outside influences the inner and vice versa.
Claudio Mortensen ; Street Photography

Claudio Mortensen ; Street Photography

The task to defining myself these days is not an easy one, since I have been enduring some many changes during recent years.
Whispers by Emmanuelle Bousquet

Whispers by Emmanuelle Bousquet

In the series Whispers, Emmanuelle Bousquet has chosen, this time, for her role to be personified by different characters, emissaries sent to explore a critical period in her life: adolescence.
Places by Lisa Shalom

Places by Lisa Shalom

I live in Italy and my project is a collection of photos from places that I frequent regularly. From the Vatican to small shops around my neighborhood here in Sicily, these are the places that I have come to regard as home and are very familiar to me.
Reflecting on Nature by Loreal Prystaj

Reflecting on Nature by Loreal Prystaj

There is no such thing as compromising with nature; we simply abide by how it lives and exist as a part of it. Nature is very relevant to each individual’s well-being, but more so than it is part of us, we are part of it.
Smoke That Travels

Smoke That Travels

What happens when a story is forgotten? What a long journey it's been. I started this film at 17, because I had a fear that part of my identity, my native Prairie Band Potawatomi heritage, would be inevitably lost in time.
Stories of Russian women; You are mine by Mary Gelman

Stories of Russian women; You are mine by Mary Gelman

«You are mine» is a series of stories of Russian women who endured domestic partner violence.These stories are about power and control of one person over another.
Tsaatan; Mongolia by Madoka Ikegami

Tsaatan; Mongolia by Madoka Ikegami

This is a series of portraits and general shots of the Tsaatan and Mongolian people who live in and around the forests of the East Taiga region of Khovsgol province in northern Mongolia.
Anatomy of a photograph by Stefania Piccioni

Anatomy of a photograph by Stefania Piccioni

The pre-production phase of my project is where all the planning takes place before the camera rolls. Whether its measured in minutes, hours or days, my planning phase sets the overall vision of my project.

Featured Stories

A Story of Faith by Siddhartha Banerjee

A Story of Faith by Siddhartha Banerjee

Faith makes a man move mountains. It is seldom reasons and mostly faith that makes a man cross barriers , struggle hard, sacrifice his well-being. The world has had a lot of stories of faith , stories where men did what reason would never allow them to do.
Water towers of Luxembourg : A Pictographic Study by Gediminas Karbauskis

Water towers of Luxembourg : A Pictographic Study by Gediminas Karbauskis

Water towers are used to store and distribute water. They are found both in small towns and major cities. Luxembourg is no exception.
The exposed city by Sevil Alkan

The exposed city by Sevil Alkan

Taking photography by mobile phones created a new trend by changing the border and direction of the photography
Long exposure; Histoire d’Ô by Arnaud Bertrande

Long exposure; Histoire d’Ô by Arnaud Bertrande

I recently started a job "Histoire d'Ô", which presents a series of long exposures taken around the theme of water.
Discovering the long exposure, I found the opportunity to work abstraction, loss of marks.
Losing our minds by Eddy Verloes

Losing our minds by Eddy Verloes

I want this poetic-philosophical reflection to speak through my images in these corona times. In my series “Losing our minds” I consciously show only young people who are looking for themselves, for the meaning of life and the relationship between man and nature.
Documentary Photography; Cementerio by Goran Jovic

Documentary Photography; Cementerio by Goran Jovic

Pan Americana is the road that leads across the continent; down from Patagonia up to the north, to Alaska. It actually takes you from the start untill the end.
City Space by Clarissa Bonet

City Space by Clarissa Bonet

City Space is an ongoing photographic exploration of the urban environment and my perception of it. I am interested in the physical space of the city and its emotional and psychological impact on the body.
Landscape photography by Jeroen Lagerwerf

Landscape photography by Jeroen Lagerwerf

Because of my short career as photographer, my portfolio is mainly practice material and shot close to my home. Finding the beauty in things you see every day, requires me to see things in a different perspective and develop myself.
The corsair project by Samuka Marinho

The corsair project by Samuka Marinho

This is a personal project developed by photographer Samuka Marinho as an original portfolio presentation. It is composed of over 400 images and has taken around a year and a half to be completed.
MiRelLA by Fausto Podavini

MiRelLA by Fausto Podavini

MiRelLa is the story of a woman, a mother, a wife, a grandmother. Mirella is 71 years old, she spent 43 years of her life with the only person loved. 43 years of sharing, difficulties, laughs and beautiful moments
Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

A photographic project to discover the deep north and the people who have inhabited these hostile territories for millennia, once uncontaminated and which today face new challenges.
Not in Kansas by Vicky Martin

Not in Kansas by Vicky Martin

Not In Kansas is a staged series of photographs inspired by the tenacious, self- reliant character Dorothy from the story The Wizard of Oz.
Mariëtte Aernoudts ; Fine art photography

Mariëtte Aernoudts ; Fine art photography

My name is Mariëtte Aernoudts and since 9 years I am a self thought photographer / imagemaker. Most of my portraits are from children or young people and always in colour.
The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

Albert Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge", and with that camera, my photographs let my imagination come to life.
Lomisoba – A feast of many meanings by Fallckolm Cuenca

Lomisoba – A feast of many meanings by Fallckolm Cuenca

North, on the military road, about 100 km from Tbilisi, one finds the epicentre of a yearly manifestation of human faith. It takes place on the slopes the Caucus and is an ode to an arduous journey of shared history and religious devotion.
Swee Oh ; Street Photography

Swee Oh ; Street Photography

Swee Oh is an internationally acclaimed fine art photographer, based in San Francisco, California.She is originally from Malaysia.Her work is focused in her two favorite genres of photography.

Trending Stories

Backlands Sertão by Felipe Fittipaldi

Backlands Sertão by Felipe Fittipaldi

Migrations tend to appear as the visible side of often invisible phenomena. The great human displacements, as a rule, precede or follow profound changes, be it from the economic and political point of view, or in social or cultural terms.
Objects in wet plate by Peter Eleveld

Objects in wet plate by Peter Eleveld

Objects in wet plate project was selected and published in our print edition 18. The artworks are just objects out of daily live, such as glassware, fruit and nature.
Kenya: harmony, balance, determination, courage and struggle by Elena Molina

Kenya: harmony, balance, determination, courage and struggle by Elena Molina

In the African savannah, land of the Maasai people, I felt the beating of the heart of the Earth accompanied by the harmonious balance of nature.
New York by Manuel Armenis

New York by Manuel Armenis

Cities, like people, have a personality. It is this personality that makes them unique and distinguishable. It might help us to read and comprehend a city or we might get challenged, confused or overwhelmed by it.
Journey to the edge of the room by Natalia Ershova

Journey to the edge of the room by Natalia Ershova

Journey to the edge of the room The heroes of my project are people, who barely ever leave their home. Many of them work at home, others are sponsored by their relatives.
Life and Death – Mexican Rhapsody by Giuseppe Cardoni

Life and Death – Mexican Rhapsody by Giuseppe Cardoni

Praying seems to be the last of thoughts in Mexico, where mourning is exhibited with sounds, costumes, music, dances, colors but also with disturbing masks and presences as if to make fear and restlessness familiar and friendly.
Universe of Sports; Body and Device by Mafalda Rakos

Universe of Sports; Body and Device by Mafalda Rakos

I am curious. How do people around me treat themselves, and how do they relate to their bodies?
The Photography of Florin Ion Firimitã

The Photography of Florin Ion Firimitã

When I finished my first novel, about one year ago, besides a sense of relief (I spent over a decade working on it), I wondered if there were any readers left in the world. At a very basic level, my book is a story about a photographer who needs a rebirth.
Interview with Massimiliano Balò; Published in our print edition #07

Interview with Massimiliano Balò; Published in our print edition #07

I believe that the magazine is very well made and above all,  it offers the possibility for emerging photographers to express their artistic vision with great freedom.
No place for a man by Mitja Kobal

No place for a man by Mitja Kobal

The objective of our tour on Greenpeace's ice breaker 'Arctic Sunrise' to the Barents sea was to make noise by protesting and spreading awareness that Norway is expanding it's drilling exercises far north into the pristine Arctic.
The Monks of Myanmar by Iñigo Bravo

The Monks of Myanmar by Iñigo Bravo

Myanmar is a religious country with more than 85% of the population practice buddhism. It’s common for children spend period of time as a monk in a temple and at the end decide to come back with parents or follow holy religion.
Teenagers society; Cruel Story of Youth by Jennifer Loeber

Teenagers society; Cruel Story of Youth by Jennifer Loeber

Grounded in the ideals of a counter-cultural past and freed from the forced constraints of a conventional camp experience, these photographs explore a society of teenagers empowered through otherwise impossible freedoms.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.