“Plants” is the Theme of the Fourth Green Yayla Culture, Arts and Ecology Festival and Caucasus Film Days

In this year’s festival the first time meeting of the gayda and tulum plus kemence and piano are being featured. The 2009 Green Yayla Festival, with increasing local, national and international joyful participation, will be focusing on the plants of North Eastern Black Sea region as its theme.Gola, Culture, Arts and Ecology NGO is organizing the Fourth Annual Green Yayla Festival in Findikli, Ardesen, Camlihemsin, Pazar of Rize and Hopa, Kemalpasa of Artvin provinces. This festival is the only cultural event, which regards the region’s cultural and environmental heritage from a uniquely alternative perspective.
 
Every year the festival chooses to highlight a critical issue of the Eastern Black Sea region and this year it’s focusing on the rich plant life, which is represented by 2240 species. For the festival panels and ecological activities natural health and healing specialist Dr. SadumanKaraca who resides in Europe has been invited as the guest speaker.
 
An interesting musical premiering event will be the united performances of the kemence and piano.
 
Fraternity of European gaida and Laz tulum (guda) instruments will shown by master musicians such BirolTopaloglu and Richard Laniepce, while the group Kolektif from Istanbul will play songs of the Balkans and Anatolia.
 
Pianist AyseTutuncu will be performing on the “Black Sea Women’s Stage” which will be at the Handagi, Kackar Mountain heights and the guest master kemence musician and singer IlknurYakupoglu will join in.
 
A pleasant surprise of the festival is the Bovel Group guest artists coming directly from Bretagne France with the support of the organization “Bogaz’daBirKopru”. Unesco has declared the villagers of Bovel as “Living Treasures” where this group of singers is doing extensive musical research in their area and they will be participating at the Atma Turku Workshop.
 
BirolTopaloglu, who’s well known for his regional archival field recordings and research will be performing with the Mabira/destani singers.
 
Traditional Children’s Games and Toys and Caucasus Film Days
 
The Fourth Green Yayla Culture, Arts and Ecology Festival will display the making of wooden toys and playing of the old children’s games of the region.
 
For the first time the festival will host the showingoutstanding international films as “Caucasus Film Days” from August 9th through 13th with films from Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
For further information please visit: www.yaylafest.org  orwww.golader.org