A group of dancers, dressed in the blue-and-white colours of the Greek flag is not a common sight in Turkey. Yet, this was exactly what happened on Saturday in the cosmopolitan Kadikoy suburb of Istanbul, where the local municipality hosted a Health Festival at the özgürlük (‘freedom’) park.
In a motion to promote peace and collaboration with other nations, the festival featured a group of dancers in a well-rehearsed and executed choreography of Sirtaki, dancing to the tune of Anna Vissi’s hit ‘Agapi Ine’ (‘Love Is’).
For all the mastery of the dancers delivery, the initiative has been heavily criticised in Turkey, particularly given that the Kadikoy municipality is controlled by the kemalist, social-democrat-leaning Republican People’s Party (CHP), which is the main opposition to Recep Tayip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party.