Ali Nesim, one of the prominent names of Turkish Cypriot Literature, who was also the President of the Turkish Cypriot Writers Union for many years and passed away on 10th May 2014, was commemorated at his grave in Zeytinlik Cemetery. After the prayers read at his grave, speeches took place in the area of Ali Nesim and Haşmet Muzaffer Gürkan in the Olive Grove.
Speaking in the area where Ali Nesim’s statue is located, his son Tayfun Nesimoğlu stated that his father loved the village of Zeytinlik and its people very much and that he was touched by the name given to the village square.
Tayfun Nesimoğlu stated that they chose who will be given this year’s Ali Nesim literature awards and that they will announce the winners of these awards via the press in the near future.
In his speech, Girne Mayor Nidai Güngördü stated that he had the opportunity to get to know Ali Nesim closely and said that Ali Nesim, who left important works behind him, was a person in love with olive trees, Zeytinlik village and Saint Hilarion.
“People are born, develop and ultimately die. It is important to leave a mark in this process. Saying that the legacy Ali Hodja left for us is very valuable, Güngördü explained that it is their duty to keep Ali Nesim’s memories alive and to pass them on to future generations.
Making a statement about the award, Güngördü said that they took a step forward as a Municipality in these events organised under the name of Ali Nesim awards and they wanted young writers to be encouraged.
Source (Turkish) : Girne Municipality
