Symposium on Minstrel Art 2021 Year of Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî: Book of Proceedings

The minstrel art, which conveys the tradition and its unique richness by bringing together many branches of art such as poetry, story, epic, and music with its unique perception, saying and performance, not only reflects the deep-rooted cultural heritage of Anatolia, but also brings life to all geographies where Turkish people set their feet. It also has the function of carrying the point of view and versatile aesthetics. In this context, the art of minstrel still continues to exist as a productive resource for understanding, interpreting and transforming oral products, which are our richest treasure, with today’s sensitivity. This fertile source has extended beyond the local to the universal by integrating in the thoughts of Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, who exalts values ​​such as human love, tolerance and peace, which are the essence of the art of minstrel.

The declaration of 2021 as the Year of Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî by UNESCO once again reminds us of the founding influence, inspiration and most importantly, the living heritage of minstrel art that gives identity to all generations seeking to reach universal values ​​from the past to the future, from tradition to universal values.

In this context, in order to contribute to the sustainability of the Turkish oral culture, which has a lot to say to humanity, Symposium on Minstrel Art was held on  29-31 July 2021 by Cappadocia University with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey and Ahiler Development Agency. In the symposium, minstrel art was evaluated from a multi-faceted perspective in the sessions of “Minstrel Tradition”, “Living Minstrel Art”, “Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî from the Music of the Minstrels” and “Transmission to Future Generations”.

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