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tv   Close up  Deutsche Welle  December 19, 2023 10:15am-10:45am CET

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was in residence of the nearby village of grinda back on the rake, and this peninsula have already been evacuated as a precaution. unsolved familiars for now, but will be back at the top of the next hour with more to say that the fast fashion as an environmental 9 a clothing graveyard in the to land desert. this is where things wealthy industrial nations no longer need and lightest textile waste gets stranded. fashion watch now on youtube,
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a group of syriac orthodox christians returning to their ancestral home in south eastern turkey. we want to revitalize the village which has been vacant for the past 2 decades in santa fe story. it was to die. your living? you here? it should. it's beautiful. here we have everything as christians, we don't have the freedom one dreams of what we're trying to win, that freedom of car and start living here again. you know, living here and so far the, this is the village of east bar rock and south eastern turkey, not far from the border to syria. most of the houses here are deserted or old ruins is just a handful of people live here now. but among them is a woman who has returned relatively recently. a syriac orthodox,
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none per day begins at sunrise with morning prayers. i'm sure the sure the, the that i know he's been stressed out to him to do. i'm sisterhood to need to go into bold and i was born in this house on april, 2nd, 1976. and i lived here until the age of 15. some fun from felicia every day after morning prayers, a tune or 2 gone, goes for a walk around the village, which she calls zones. its original name and the aromatic language. when she was growing up here, it was still home to 270 christian families. them all for you have off imagine that here was, are pound my father and the other men would dive in here and could hold their breaths long enough to swim underwater to the other side. like an awesome guy,
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it was teeming with lives. even here of these and russell dies in the 19 eighties and nineties, this area was the scene of a military conflict between the turkish army and curtis p. k. k. militias, the christians always in the minority here were costs between the 2 sides. have been seen villa too were neither turks nor curtis, as far as we are or may, it really stands for some spice that we were basically being crushed between 2 stony supply and there was no way we could stay here. so we tried to persevere. war until the death threats and so on and guns. as in 1985, one such threat was made to her father by curtis and neighbors. he decided to fleet with his wife and 10 children to germany, and i never because of the same week we left for a symbol. and once we had our passports and tickets, we flew to germany every single day since 1985 i dreamt of being here in the village on the clumsy m dot in germany became
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a 2nd. tell him to have to know. but you never forgot where she came from. and she always held tight to her syriac orthodox space. when she was of age, she decided to become a nun. over 30 years after moving to germany, she returned to her in federal home and 2017 feeling her father's dying. wish non papa. so i told him my father was very ill in 2014. 0 my god, nobody changed nurse. so i watched over him. i mean, i was with him day and night onto and shortly before he died he said to me in deep breath, to speak to my dearest daughter, my wish list for life to return to the village, the village he said, come back after her father's passing, she used her inheritance to start rebuilding. her family home is ok. so voice usually when i arrived this well had practically collapsed, is one here. it was all really not of when he did he and it's really it was important to restore the old houses eyes of the others to leave the red and. ready
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these are the original stones, the i was born right here and there was a rocker. my mother hung the rope and there was a baby to rock them to and fro. sho. tuna is a member of the syriac christian minority, also known as paramedic, a syrian called in or syria. the aromatic word for syria. their ancestors are believed to have been one of the very 1st christian communities. over the centuries, the group with its longstanding religious beliefs and own customs in language came under repeated attacks and a predominantly muslim region. most decided to flee their homeland. only
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about 2000 christians still live in the area. one percent of the communities numbers a century ago. in the today, there are around 300000 syriac orthodox christians, living outside turkey, primarily in europe in the united states, almost half of the diaspora has found a new home in germany in the town of b. take time, dissing and in south western germany, the syriac orthodox community comprises some 500 families, the same on whose it was 17. when his family moved to germany from eastern turkey in 1990 the
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via hobbin. i think as christian was, we were looking for a new home that was christian. so we were looking in europe. i hope i could do. yeah, we heard there was democracy, freedom that weren't by i guess and above all peace slide please. and that was here and in your overall appeal in i'm get my oil, but zima learned german and after doing an apprenticeship as a hair dresser opened his own salon. and met georgette. she too is christian, and had to emigrate it to germany from syria and 2000 a couple now have 2 sons and a daughter every sunday, after church service, the family gathers together for lunch. so i cannot say no, probably your children were all born here. where there are other traditions fuel vehicles, we've tried to find a compromise that includes our ancestors, vague meetings, vague. so if in english are him isn't to assimilate nearby and we have what's
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rather to integrate yet. it was in think, i mean, really make an effort on that front of the out. i need just tell me why she's at home both here on the dirt to find them. i know i see this having 2 homes. i, my one is the home of my parents. the other is the home. i was born in the wonderful day for the 1st 10 years after leaving turkey. the moment it was that did not dare venture back. but later, whenever it felt safe to do so, he visited the village where he was born and grew up. in some sense, he'd never truly left it behind the dark based on the day when you're there, you feel grunted about and so by do. but every time he leaves this homeland, you think ma'am, when will i be back about how well and there's always the question of why i leave on break. yeah. one issue that search find out, go back for good. is what does the teacher hold
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a shot and it really does weight on your mind body to get done. can you because of the o z mon assume the heading off for a vacation in his homeland. he always stops by his parents place to say good bye. before setting off, they live in a neighboring apartment block sale. oh my moms visit the other i'm off to our village and wanted to see good bye to booth to know how the head of the is manny. i'm an alias is that we're farmers in eastern turkey. they ran a small village store and made drugs out in 1990, they fled to germany, bearing for their own safety. amid the conflict between the muslim turks and kurtz v as in the that's why we beat in germany for 32 years to the day. and the above on
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my dad has never been back home. the mom has been able to go twice to the milwaukee with it. so i'm on the wrong english. this a and don't go back to the homeland without saying good bye 1st. and then elton did finished and we need their prayers for us really to be at their phones. and when we arrive back here, we always go straight to them that so then turkey does not recognize the syriac orthodox christians as a religious minority. but the state does give land and churches back to those returning people from the diaspora are now rebuilding their old communities. here near the syrian border there restoring old houses and constructing new ones. most of the christians, however, only spend their summer vacations in their ancestral villages. the. ready ready insides too. there are several new and restored homes,
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standing among the ruins. the largest house in the village belongs to sister had 2 and a 2 guns which she built next to her parents old home. she wants to provide other attorneys with a roof over their heads while their homes are under construction. oh, yeah, i'm here, but we already have beds made up. here. we have some bunk beds that hold on and off the rooms are finished. everything is ready to go. how does this stuff? and here's another room that sleeps for best. and so 10 people can stay the night here. i have $32.00 beds up here in total wine price has been cartoon has plans for the house don't. and there she also wants to set up a kind of school and helping women whose family stayed in the region and who never went to school. she's already acquired 18 laptops and 12 sewing machines for the project. it's moved to
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a computer. i think i want to offer computer courses and showing lessons here who sees this 5 because those are jobs you can do from home to can, and escalated has come and us been having that training means you at least have a profession, minutes and moving on. tom sisterhood. tuna is a member of a serious orthodox church in germany. in 2011, she launched a foundation which has a special focus on supporting girls and women. it now has around $7000.00 volunteers running schools and other projects in $33.00 countries. in addition to her parents house to and it has also inherited land here a $28.00 hector's and total equivalent of around 20 soccer pitches. the bulldozers she's hired spent weeks clearing the rich soil of rocks and stones. via here we're going to have an olive grove with pistachio trees on the biggest
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plot of land surrounded by grapevines. vines called him and god willing, we'll have our 1st harvest and some 5 years time. talked often. this is my home. who are all of this used to be formed a good time. we planted grain here, but there is nobody doing that now. and almost despite the fertile soil to vote during the summer months to a sister also lives in size. norah built a house in the village last year and now helps out of the 2 women planted sumac shrubs here. the plants, dried berries are made into a popular spice cartoon. it had to do a great deal of convincing. before nora was ready to make the move back home. yeah . that's what's happening to my what hotel now has a cheap so far and is still doing is just an extraordinary must have one in mind
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the most long. so i'm long some sounding so my sister little by little many people are putting fear aside and finding their way back here. beat up someone to come in . once they've harvested enough sumac berries, they plan to sell the spice and the region. the around 70 kilometers away is the village of nadine parson in turkish. in the summer at least the centuries old christian churches have full congregations again. the dean is the home village of e mail and is that the hurry to make it in time for the service? just after arriving to the area the afterwards, the worshippers gather to share a meal. hello and enjoy your meal and you know how to
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do this month. if you see faces that you haven't seen in years. if you come once a year or once a decade, you meet new people, which is larger as tradition dictate the food is being provided by the relatives of a person who recently passed away. there's about 300 people here today about 20 minutes and this is a, this is the son of the deceased. lead me food, an owner of his father. the after 2 hours of chatting with other church goers. z moselle, takes off on a tour around medina. it's only the 2nd time. see mountains, youngest son, my time is visiting the village of his ancestors yourself if i've seen but a lot hotter here too. and there are different things you can do here compared to
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germany too much because i drive a tractor on a motorbike, altura car, the foot and baton. it isn't just here to have fun. she moaned and georgette want their son to learn more about the culture of his ancestors. at a special summer course, more gabrielle is the oldest surviving syriac orthodox monastery in the world. both as he moaned and his brothers spent a few days here when they were 14, the june. it was great to be here over, but seemed, if i hope he likes it, it will be interesting for him to spend a few nights here and get an idea of what things used to be like and the whole land . and what life was like in a monastery, in the high month of all the month, open and close. i'm glad i found it. in the late 4th century, the monastery offers courses in the aromatic language and about the culture of the
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syrian orthodox community. welcome much. i already has aromatic lessons, twice a week, back in germany, but that's not enough in his father's arts, kind of go to boost lives in the united states. every summer she brings her son here to spend a month at moore, gabriella. i sure that the students are so happy here officially, and they do voluntary work in the monastery. but there's time for other things to leslie pray 3 times a day when there are no ceremony scheduled, the bowed down before god is not difficult to close. the monastery can accommodate up to 30 students, religious education and language lessons as well as meals are funded by donations from other syriac orthodox christians. but time isn't yet sure if he wants to return for his next summer vacation.
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over in size, a toner has visitors arriving from germany today. friends of her sister, nura from fryeburg, that's not, i mean they're in there which i can read and do. it's about the church in the building is from before the christian era, 1800 b c. so how many can you see the remark? writing? it's likely that this place was used by some worshippers. there used to be windows here, and there is the entrance to the underground city just that's the, i'm exhausted. the kind of makes me there are simply no words to con. taken this expanse, you can look in all directions as far as the i can see this, the oh good by the button. that's good business hours. these elementary tell you that the one down there. that's hours to enter the mountain where the houses are.
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those houses the church was closed for a period of 30 years. a toner has since had it restored with the help of other former residents. i'm going to show you where we were all baptized, all 10 brothers and sisters. the baptismal font has been restored. we were all baptized here. one of the children in the village. this discharge was the most wonderful childhood memory for all of us. to put one other kingdom on the shewn of the best was all stay and stay because the entire village would gather in the courtyard to eat together. and so young an old i'm to get seated. we'll have a lot to take home with us. we'll be thinking of you that's nice type of respect is it's completely different compared to germany. also in terms of advancing that religion,
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which i now understand why you feel homesick outside. we're grateful for your invitation full frontier. there's a major festival coming up in 6 weeks time. a tune of hopes that the church is us will be full of people again, just like it used to be. marty and the largest city in the area has been a melting pot of cultures and religious faith for thousands of years with the east of turkey now relatively peaceful. again, the tourists have started coming back. they numbered some 4000000 and 2021. despite the cobit 1910 demik strong, the city name of this is the oldest syrian quarter, and then we'll go to the curricular church. many of the people on this tour of the christian sides of our muslim turks in 2021, 9 churches and monasteries in martine were added to your nest goes tentative list of new world cultural heritage sites. it's all in this journal. this is one of the
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few places where you can hear church, bells, london was india and that the treasure that she this is my 5th time here. i wanted to show my friends have beautiful it is the community seems close knit and the people do a lot to preserve their culture. and large christians, in this area, were known for crafting silver jewelry and producing wine. just a few decades ago, the letter was met with fierce opposition in the region. 1700 and the drinking wine has ascended islam. whereas for christians, secrets when people used to have an issue with this, we started some, many even refused to sell their grapes. so my names later on as i've got more popular posts and people started making and selling wind themselves such a lot of in this era of reconciliation, that ancient culture is now being marketed in new ways. august 15th is
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assumption day. an important holiday for christians here, worshippers gather for a ceremony in the church of saint mary and the village of passed. among them, our sister had 202 gun and cmon who's the. it's a wonderful coincidence. i find someone i played soccer with 31 years ago and title that and he was a right back. i was left back. the ceremony is being held down in the courtyard as there isn't enough space in the church for 500 worshippers. the service lasts over 2 hours, which is standard, in aramaic christian tradition. i wasn't
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expecting so many people. it's amazing and lovely to get a real experience of horn. i liked it. it wasn't like it is in germany. we don't have many monasteries like this there. i'd like to come here more often. after the ceremony comes the traditional feast. assumption de marks the end of a fasting period for syriac orthodox christians. after abstaining from meat and dairy products for 15 days. the next day the mound visits the sides, and medea where his grandfather's house once stood. it was the 2nd home for the moment until he and his family emigrated to germany. since he now owns the land, he could rebuild it. but does he want to tell? i'm going to be honest,
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i haven't proceeded dream like that yet. so and how happy should only last year with different dreams of building a new life in europe. i'm doing fine. thanks to god. that's my an oil managed to do all that good side down. yes. so, so i'll get you in the phrase and this pieces of what is the most precious thing you can have. and then the reason is there's piece here. maybe that dream will come to life without noise of it. get around 40 new houses had been built by christian families in medina, over the past decade. the contributions from the diaspora and the turkish states have also paid for a new sewage system as well as the street lighting and upgraded power lines. the z mon is visiting his and sean and uncle as ease.
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they were also born in medina, but unlike the moment they never left the village to shield out of a 150 families and 50 left. 5 of the couples, 10 children, live abroad. aziz and shoshone would love to see them return home permanently. but in the years it should be. these 3 have come here from europe. you could give them the entire village and they still didn't come back to me. my father's rights getting married, so i'm not planning on coming back. i would like somebody took us a long time to build up a new life abroad. it wasn't easy. i got a hold of the turn, the music we had quite a few difficulties at 1st logic, but now we've adjusted dish. the other stuff and even like in the back of my children wasn't dilemma the every times email and visits his childhood
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village, she feels torn. he and his family have a good life in germany. medina, it says past cause it become a future home for his family. the. ready finished, we can't just leave behind our children and i have them when they get married and maybe have kids and you know, i become a grand that visual for life and that maybe after i'm retired, i could come here more often and for longer i live in young, but my children would definitely not come with me on okay, and i'm not sure my wife would either. well then it's something we've never really talked about because it's simply not an option. right. nice. but you invite these buys, coming to visit. sure. but living here, honestly, it's still too early to say yeah, they've been no, it's so flu guns that the
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weather. uh, 4 weeks later, it's now late september. and the most important festival of the year is underway in the villages. patron saint dean is being honored. the toner, 2 guns, which has come true with members of the diaspora attending in large numbers. awesome. yeah. okay. i think i'm either all originally from the village. they've come from sweden, the netherlands, germany, and belgium to celebrate the festival pack horse for us to fire the present. here from florida, i've already seen 5 people who i went to school with the guns and he gets them of the week i decided to reunite with everyone again con around 300 syriac orthodox christians have come home at least for the duration of the festival. the
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throws building a house means re discovering their roots and increasing the place where we can feel at home on the so we feel secure and loved one mind giving me a guy to get logan. i'd leave if it's also about re description and the traditional values that define or people might index the spot or sometimes i went to cry, tears of joy. but i tried to hold myself together. we aids saying and prayed together. every thing is one community. we're back together again, and that's the most beautiful thing about life in a village community name, it's the way it once was and is now again, this is what i want you to be doing. 17 families have plans to build new homes or
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restore old ones here in size. a 2 and a 2 gun has been traveling across the world to support your foundations, educational projects. but she's always happiest in her village. her old and new home the, the monumental structures of the stone age, a milestones in the history of mankind. some of its greatest again, these are my, the mental stone arrangement that people are arrested long before the pyramid, technical and logistical feet. that simple as the impossible agents and bodies here the stones tell the story of a powerful revolution. what exactly happened as of 10000 years
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ago is shina nice. somebody in the most left by our and the secrets of the stone age. december 22nd on the w and the south africa's democracy is facing a trust crisis. is the government, the heavy? i don't just don't kid. extreme poverty has dashed hopes of a better life with immigrants being claimed for many problems. you know everything with what does this come to nelson monday.

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