9 March 2010 / HAŞMET BABAOĞLU SABAH,
I’m not kidding; I knew some people who thought Europe was going to be obsessed with İstanbul once 2010 arrived.
The time finally came, and we entered 2010. There were some extra lights and audio effects in the beginning, but that was it. Now they are surprised by all the silence. If you ask around you’ll hear people saying that they haven’t gone to a single exhibition for several months. You’ll find people seriously complaining, saying, “Oh no, we are going to miss the 2010 opportunity.” And then there are several people who say, “2010 is here, but we still don’t have a good concert hall.” Sometimes I get angry and feel like shouting, “What did you expect?” Did you think a divine light was going to fall upon İstanbul when 2010 came? Was the world all of a sudden going to recognize İstanbul and start running towards it? If you haven’t understood Turkey and especially İstanbul’s value until now, then don’t expect much. Just be happy that İstanbul received a few million euros for being chosen a European Culture of Capital and used it to restore some historic structures.
