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Preserve Anatolian village life — before the köy is just a name
Many Turkish-German families have a köy in their memory. The village where Babaanne came from. The village where Dede went to get married. The village often grows smaller with each generation — and with every generation the gaps widen.
Which layers to capture
- Geography: where the village was, what was around it
- Architecture: what your house looked like, what was inside
- Economy: what the families lived on
- Religion and festivals: mosque, Bayram, Ramazan, weddings
- Relationships: who was a neighbour, who was a relative, who was a friend
- Conflicts: what was hard, who left, who stayed
Smells and sounds matter more than data
Don't ask How big was the village? — ask What did it smell like in the morning? Don't ask What was the school called? — ask What sound was in your ear when you came home? Sensory impressions are what memories are made of.
Do not smooth out the dialect
If Dede speaks in the Sivas dialect, let him. A translation into standard language would lose everything that is unique. In Aile Hafızası the voice message stays unchanged — only the transcript and summary are adapted for the family.
Maps, photos, songs
If you have photos of the village, attach them. Maps of the region. Songs your family sings when thinking of home. All of that turns a memory into a family archive.
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