Commemorating Zafer Karatay, a master of TRT
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Istanbul Ticaret University Faculty of Communication Department of Media and Communication held a documentary screening and a commemoration meeting titled “Respecting the Master” for Producer-Director and Crimean Tatar National Assembly Türkiye Representative Mr. Zafer Karatay, who retired from Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).
The meeting titled “Respecting the Master”, which was held at the Sütlüce Campus Conference Hall and hosted by our Rector Prof. Dr. Abdulhamit Avşar, who was one of Mr. Karatay’s colleagues at TRT, where he worked for 35 years, and the screening of “Zafer Karatay’s TRT Journey Documentary” were attended by Mr. Karatay and his colleagues with whom he worked at TRT for many years, primarily Mr. Kamber Koytaviloğlu, Deputy Head of TRT Internal Productions Department.
HIS DOCUMENTARIES ARE THE REGISTERED TITLE DEEDS OF CRIMEA
In his speech at the opening of the meeting, our Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar stated that he met with Mr. Karatay in 1987. Prof. Dr. Avşar continued his speech as follows: “Apart from being an important name of TRT as a very good and competent television programmer, Karatay’s other characteristic is that he identifies his profession with another value.
Mr. Karatay has another quality other than being a very good and competent television programmer and an important name of TRT, and that is that he identifies his profession with a value. His work at TRT is an important work of memory, culture and history. Crimea, which is under occupation today, has been recorded with his efforts, which is his legacy, and has become a title deed that can never be lost.” In his opening speech, our Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar reminded that Mr. Karatay also carried out very serious studies on the lost geographies of the Turkic World and the disappeared Turks, and wished him success in his future work.
HE HANDED OVER HIS CALPAK
Later in the meeting, a documentary was watched about the life of Zafer Karatay, who produced programs and prepared documentaries on TRT for years, and his years at TRT. In the documentary prepared by director Ms. Zeliha Aydın, Zafer Karatay’s struggle for the Crimean Turks and the difficulties experienced by a documentary producer were shown to the audience.
At the ceremony, Mr. Karatay continued the tradition of “Handing Over His/Her Quilted Turban” by giving “Crimean Calpak” to two talented employees who started their new jobs at TRT after his retirement from TRT and to whom Mr. Karatay personally contributed. The ceremony ended with TRT Deputy Head of Internal Productions Department Mr. Kamber Koytaviloğlu giving the plaque prepared in memory of the day to Mr. Zafer Karatay and cutting the cake.
