An exclusive interview with the Dr. Şemsettin KÜZECİ: The International Magazine Fair in Istanbul, a cultural, intellectual, and civilized melting pot

Istanbul – In every work that is accomplished, we find men leading the ranks, leading the work team with a keen vision and unremitting efforts and according to a well-thought-out plan, but on the other side there are unknown soldiers who serve as the fuel and engine for this work to come out to the light in a bright body, and in the international magazine fair to be held In the Turkish city of Istanbul on 8th of June 2022 until the 12th of the same month, there are personalities and people who teach in silence and away from the spotlight, each in his specialty and according to his tasks entrusted to him to achieve the possible distinction and success, while we can call them “shadow soldiers”, where they stayed up nights and continued day and night in order to achieve the noble and lofty goals of the exhibition, and here we meet one of these “heroes”, Şemsettin KÜZECİ, responsible for external participation in the International Magazine Fair, and the following is the text of the dialogue:

Q: First, what can you say about the International Magazine Fair next week?
The exhibition constitutes a cultural, intellectual, and civilized crucible and a beacon that reflects the history and heritage of Turkey and the Islamic world in particular and other countries of the world in general. It is also the first and only magazine in the world for 9 years, which was launched with about 15 magazines in the beginning, and now it embraces more than 400 magazines from About 30 countries, and through the 5th, 6th, and 7th magazine fairs, the World Association of Journals and then the World Association of Turkish Journals (DTDB) was established with the addition of magazines from abroad.

Q: What are the objectives of the exhibition and what will it present to the owners and publishers of the magazines?
At the outset, it can be said that the current session of the exhibition represents an exceptional event by all standards, as it is a necessity for the Turkish and Islamic publishers, to provide him with a great opportunity to compensate for the losses suffered by the publishing industry during the Corona epidemic crisis. Therefore, since its inception, the exhibition seeks to achieve the development of the publishing industry and its mechanisms and work to keep pace with the times and seeks to provide a specialized professional platform for publishers and those working in the magazine industry that elevates the cultural product in Turkey and the countries of the world. It also aims to enrich the cultural scene in Turkey, the participating countries, and the public as well, depending on the historical and cultural foundations of each participating country, as we are keen to highlight the intellectual and cultural identity of the participating countries, as it is the strong bridge that transports humanity to a better future based on the destiny of its children and its cultural and literary talents.

Q: What are the challenges and difficulties you faced in preparing for this exhibition?
The challenges and difficulties can be described as general, comprehensive, and almost felt and experienced by all the work team for this exhibition, most notably work pressure, time constraints, and unexpected administrative and logistical developments, both for external and internal participants as well.
In particular, I mention these challenges due to the momentum and the very large number of coordination meetings, and the various arrangements in our relations with different sectors, all of which amount to great work pressure, but we were accomplishing whatever we worked with with utmost dedication, love and sincerity to make the exhibition come out in the most beautiful picture, in addition to my responsibility for the arrangements for receiving foreign guests.

Q: What about the supporting bodies for this great cultural festival?
The most prominent of these institutions is the Turkish Magazine Association is a union formed in 2008 by meeting with magazine editors, where the platform became an association in February 2015, while issues of journalism in the world are considered among the priorities and foundations of the work of the Turkish Magazine Association (TÜRDEB), and the Union WUP and DTDB; these institutions provide editorial training, organize journalism workshops, exhibitions, sessions and panel discussions, and organize journalism-related events in schools.
For this reason, the Turkish Magazines Association platform held the first meeting of magazines in 2010 with the participation of 55 magazines in this exhibition, while their number reached 78 in the second year, in the third year 98, in the fourth year 108, the fifth with 115 magazines, and the sixth 165 magazines. The seventh is 250 magazines, the eighth year is 300, and the ninth year is 400, while the number of participants from magazines for this year 2022 is expected to reach about 450 magazines.

Q: As the person responsible for the participating journals from outside Turkey, how was the selection process?
The selection of participations from international magazines is based on the availability of intellectual and cultural diversity of the participating magazines, so as to enrich the cultural arena and enhance the atmosphere and intellectual diversity of the participating parties, which will positively affect everyone.
We have tried to achieve cultural, intellectual and geographical diversity as well for the participating parties. For example, there are participations from: the countries of the Turkish world, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish relative communities: Gagosia (Moldova), Ufa (Bashkortostan), Crimea (Ukraine). , Tatarstan, Uyghur Turks (East Turkestan), and from the Balkans; There are about 30 magazines from Bulgaria, Kosovo, Romania and North Macedonia, as well as from Middle Eastern countries, Egypt, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Palestine, Turkmenili (Iraq), South Azerbaijan (Iran) and Europe (Netherlands).

Q: What are the most prominent features of the 11th edition of the international magazine fair?
The new session of the exhibition is characterized by the use of digital intelligence in the presentation, and the presence of informational screens and special spaces for the posters of participating magazines and their details. Arab countries.

Q: What other equipment did you save before the start of the exhibition?
The preparations that are made in advance such as organizing menus, names and appointments, and everything related to foreign guests, from sending messages via e-mail to confirm attendance, to responding to them, following up on their accommodation, and booking tickets now