I was planning to go last month, got my visa back in August bc I was originally going to go then, but decided on Scotland instead, after already applying for my visa. I was looking up flights in Oct but my sister advised me to hold off on visiting. She said they were protesting due to everything going on with Israel, currently. I was really disappointed because I’ve been excited to go, since August. To top it off, I actually met 2 people (one, on my way to Scotland, and the second, on my way back ) that I ended up having conversations with, who were both visiting family in Antalya. They both said I would love it (they also both were very warm) so that kinda made me feel like it was fate 😂. I’m really hoping that I can at least go next year. I want to visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, and possibly Antalya. What did you like most about it? Did you only visit Istanbul? Sorry for the super long message 🙃.
@@Ohwownotthat hey its all good! Appreciate you listening to what I had to say, I lived and traveled through Turkey for 3 months. It was one of the best moments in my life. Im from Los Angeles so it was the little things that made it aesthetically pleasing for me. Beautiful Skys, Blue waters, different demographic, food, culture everything. I traveled North, West and South of the country. I have a playlist of 20 videos on Turkey on my channel, I would highly suggest checking it out to see the different environments of the country!
Thanks for the reply! 🙏🏽 Sorry if you mentioned traveling through different parts, in the video, and I just missed it. I have a habit of reading the comments while watching the video 😂🤦🏽♀️. All of the reasons you’ve listed, sounds like all of the reasons I need to get there. Visit in 2024 coming soon 🤞🏽. Again, thanks for the reply! I will definitely check out your other videos 🙂
Welcome to my country Türkiye we are very polite we love all people from other country and other culture i have many african friends comming to Türkiye it make me happy and they love it i love all African people you people are very kind come to Türkiye one more time 🇹🇷❤
Thank you for your video, it was a good watch. When you mentioned your experiences with Turkish police, I teared up a little, because I got sad about the circumstances in the US. I‘m a Germany Turk, living in Germany and I‘ve also had kinda bad experiences with the German police, so I can relate to a certain extent.
I just came back from a week in Istanbul. I am atheist but my interaction with the religious Muslims Turks were the most pleasant. They being so good and caring.
I went to Turkey a few years back. I was traveling through a couple of other countries in Europe, and made it a mission to visit Turkey Istanbul). Being African American, and also practicing Islam, I have to say that my experience was GREAT!!! Yes, I did get some stares, but there was no overt bad behavior or sense of discrimination/disrespect. In fact, of all the places I have been, I felt the most welcome in Turkey. In many cases, people were genuinely curious to hear my life story (i.e. learn about me) when they found out where I was from, and when they found out I practiced Islam. Also, it felt great for a change to be able to eat a diet without having to check all the packages for things that i don't consume (i.e. pork products), go to a historic Mosque to pray, and to participate in Ramadan . It was also enlightening to see peoples of all religions co-existing and living together with respect, and dignity. As one of the persons told me "my religion is what I practice personally, not what I impose on others". I am hoping that I can return one day.
Very nice !! I think Turkish people are very friendly & welcoming from my own experiences here in L.A.,I met quite a lot Turkish people here in my apartment complex & cafes,bookstores & supermarkets & they were/ are all very nice !! 👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
Salaam. Appreciate your experience. In shaa Allah I will be going to Istanbul in a few weeks. Coming from West Africa I was wondering what it would be like as I dress like a Muslim and my wife wears hijab.
@alhassant9204 I know Turkey is a big Muslim country ,so I don't see any issues for you wearing traditional Muslim clothes . I know you'll love the country ! It's been in my bucket list for a long time now ! I hear from people all the positive feedbacks from their trips there !! Indeed only few countries that people telling me wanting to go back are Italy ,Turkey or Argentina !! Some strong love for Nepal & Thailand. Hope you'll have a blast in Turkey 🇹🇷!! 💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️🇹🇷💞
Thank you so much for opening up about your experiences in turkey. I am considering moving for citizenship in Turkey, so I needed this video as reassurance that I will not be disrespected. You have a new subscriber!!
Thank you for visiting Turkey and posting a video of your experiences, yabanci 😃. It was very educational. Overall, I hope you enjoyed your stay here. 😊
That’s great to know! Yes, I’ve heard that men and women have different experiences however for the most part I’ve never heard of any having a negative experience there.
I am a Turk, there is no racism here. With that said, despite your remarks, we don't encounter many black people in Turkiye aside from very touristy cities/areas. Some people will give you a stare, because how often can you see a black guy roaming around you know? It's a special thing. In the same fashion, we don't encounter people with really really white skin. So the experience of a really white guy from a Nordic country is the same as a black guy. Redheads will draw the same attention too. Moreover, glancing at people is not considered rude here (I'm not talking about a staring contest). Those women with "puffy" hair can not escape attention, because they are extremely "foreign" to Turkish people. They look "bold", most Turks will see such hair styles in movies and magazine ads. Bring forth Margot Robbie and she will get a similar attention too. Will she like it? Probably not! Edit: Something else to add here. I'm not a linguist but there was a time before internet where we only saw black people in documentaries about the cannibalistic tribes, or the tales of Arabia etc. There is a very small community of Afro-Turks in Turkiye. So , back then some ignorant people associated the word "yamyam (cannibal)" with blacks. or all blacks were "arabs". There was no ill intent. It'd be like "I saw an arab from USA" . Another fact is we do not have a word for "n***" , that has no meaning for us, blank. Since that is the case, when a translation needed for a movie the translators (who are also not linguists) had to pick a word and used "zenci" in place of the n word. In reality "zenci" is based on the Arabic word Zenc(black) and means "people of black origin" and does not contain a derogatory context. Zenci , siyahi, siyah all mean black. Nothing more. TLDR, nobody in Turkiye can yell a bad word for a black person. 99.9% of the times people mean "black". We do swear a lot though after all, in our society it's pretty normal to call our best friends "pimps".
@@AlfariziZakaria Arapları 1. Dünya savaşında hainlik yapanların defalarca affetmemize rağmen tekrar ayaklananların kafasını kesip denize attık diye torunları/ suudiler bizi kötülüyorlar bizi hep arkadan vurduğu için onları sevmiyoruz
I hear you !! I felt my heart ached when you mentioned of police here in the States 💔 😢 REALLY, I am tearing up myself right now !! The things should change !! About time !!! Some policemen are lovely ,real nice ,but over all ,they have an attitude problem !! Very demanding, bossy !! Too much ! And they do profiling !! Some think black people are exaggerating, I WAS ONE OF 'EM living in Tokyo !! I was WRONG !! I have seen it ,felt it living here for so long !! Over 35 years now. It's a shame !! The world is fixed . And SOME white very powerful people do not want black people to be very very powerful. Because you've got the powers / capabilities/ talents more that they're afraid of you !!! Jealousy/ fears become hatred in this world !! So silly & so sad. All the black people should be proud !! They degrade you ,not underestimate,nor underrated you !! They're making sure that you won't get too powerful in this world !! I used to think black people were drama queens ,not longer !! I realized that about two decades ago !! There are tobs of black people in jails all over the U.S.,yet they're minority in this country ,so that the statistics tells us the most blacks are criminal !! Lol. You see ? How wrong that is !? The majorities of shoplifters are mid age white women ,they don't go to jail really ,they're waved many times !! But,if you're a black person & steals a loaf of bread ,you go to a jail here !! The majorities of serial killers are white !! Lol. I believe the majorities of school shooters & terrorists ( domestic ) are white people !! Lol But , more black or brown people get pulled over while driving in the U.S.!! Very sad facts . 😔
What you want he shouldn't go to jail if he has done a violation because he is black. It's not about race or color which doesn't matter it is just statistics and reality we see in American society. And I am not a so-called "racist white American" I am an immigrant from East Europe. You can see in the street how each community behaves and in what manner. So if you have done a violation you have to be responsible for it.
@ramilazimov3576 If you don't live in the U.S.,then you really don't know what you're talking about !! Statics should show more white criminals in jails here because they're the majority. But, the most of tgem are blacks ,then Hispanic, etc. You see what I'm talking about !!?? That almost means the majority of black people are criminals ! Lol.
@ramilazimov3576 I agree!...I just HATE being judged and treated badly because of how I look. I don't want to be treated like a criminal when I'm not.
When I was younger there were not many black people (I live in a business center in İstanbul) but later their population went up in where I live. I always had a shy perspective on black people because I knew the west had racism issues and I didn't want to come of as like that so I always tried to be as mindful as possible and not stare at their soul when I started seeing them for the first time. Now, I am used to it and I don't have an urge to stare at all. Mind you, the staring urge was due to fasination. For the most part, Seeing a black people used to be like seeing a very tall person or someone who is very muscle-y, it is all about being in awe. Especially with African women's colorful braids and outfits, it was all about the culture for me. LIKE you are right, the hair dude. So majestic for a regular Turkish person. Right now, I feel like most people either don't care you are black(used to it) or feel close to you because they parallel you guys with famous people or emphatize with your stories. Racism is maily caused upon black people if a) this is a young boy being brainwashed by american content (I met some of those guys in school, they are literally such America-boos) b) Racist towards everyone (ultranationalist scary people) c) They think you are an arab/syrian (because let's be real the main source of racism in Turkey is racism towards other middle eastern countries) d) They are from a place where there are not many black people or they see them but unable to talk with them because of low-english proficiency and they are being the warm-hearted but ignorant Turkish selves. Please do not mind them. They are actually ignorant to any race they don't know, and they might be annoying to anyone introvert. A tourist is a tourist no matter the skin color. Same with flirting guys, they flirt with every tourist and it is not about being black per se, but being a women tourist. Mind them, I think they are most of the time creepy. Not every flirting turkish man is but if they are cat-calling you using you skintone as an ignorant compliment. From what I have seen, non-tourist black (mostly african) residents in Turkey seen as hardworking people who mind their own business. The only negative streotype I know that they are sometimes considered as lower educated and watch-sellers. There used to be and still are a lot of black watch sellers in Turkey. Idk about their education status or why they exactly work in that occupation more than usual. The thing is this is ,of course, should not be a thing all black residents in Turkey should be judged as. Someone older than 35 rarely has the knowladge of cultural problems of America, like cultural approciation or even the nuances in the language. Younger people are starting to learn through globalizm. (For example, there are not actually a bad word for black people like n-word. However, there used to be discussion about the word Zenci due to translation issues. Translators used the world Zenci as the n-word and used the word siyahi as the respectful version. So some people started to consider zenci as a bad word. However, both words simply mean black and most of the people still use zenci to mean black, nothing degrading.) This has been my experience. However I must admit I haven't done any prior research. So, add your opinion or educate me if my experience was/is unusual. To tourists about the police: Police are nice if you are just a regular person no matter where you are from. They are very ruthless to protesters tho so be careful if you are in Taksim or somewhere when protests are happening. Also, I mean no one gonna know anything if you don't exhibitly state but I would be careful if you are from a sexual minority. Homophobia exists in Turkey. They probably wouldn't mind it because you are yabancı but middle aged agressive guys who happened to be police might go off randomly if you kiss on the street or something. (minus the really touristic mediterranean areas) Thank you so much for the video, Have fun travels : )
I had been to Turkey many times. Vacationing or for work. I was always welcomed. In my personal experience. Loved Turkey. There are black Turkish people in Izmir. Once in that area I was asked if I was Turkish.😊
I just found your page, and I’m going to Dubai and turkey first the first time (both countries)in September this year, so I needed content frim a black perspective . Thank you , this is great content. Can’t wait to see more places you’ve been to. 😊👊🏾
Thank you for sharing your experience. I would love to visit Turkey. I enjoy their culture and language. Your videos were very informative and seemed like you really enjoyed this trip.
I really did, Turkey is one of my favorite countries in the world that I had the pleasure of living in, please experience it for yourself its a great destination.
That " Hair" thing is more related to a Commercial That was super popular like in the early 2000s. Everyone with a Afro ( Dont matter if Male or Female) is a " Bonuskafa" ( Bonushead) and it's nothing degrading, quite the contrary actually
@@Paintyourlifestyle Nah, that's not Race or Skin color related.. A Japanese Dude with an Afro would get Simular reactions. ( Imma send you a link to that Commercial so you can see it for yourself). The only " Word" we have to describe Black people ( Other then "Zenci" witch means Black Person) is Amokachi. Amokachi was a Nigerian Football player who played in the Turkish leauge for Years and was Universally very adored by the entire Country. So when Turks call you Amokachi, the like you. ( Racisim as you know it from the US hasn't made it here, praise to Allah)
Well I made my decision. I am going to Turkey! I am an African American (half Zulu) and I have a tutor who is Turkish and she is really nice to me and she doesn’t care if I am black.
My husband and I are planning on moving there some time in 2024 where can I meet other black people in general in turkey? We’re thinking Istanbul or izmir
Im black American too. Do the men get aggressive if you date turkish women? I'll be there next week in instanbul. If I like it definitely want to come back.
My heart bleeds for african americnas in country they are born in please thats country people are crazy its so sad what they do o people of colors... Mashalla may God bless your journey 🙏
I am an American and black but I am not African 😂 I know it's confusing and the younger generation like to be call African American but I do not ..yes I have African descendants. Great great great grandparents.. so I am American 😂😂 .. just wanted to inform you that some black people don't want to be called African American..
Thank you so much for this video. I inspire to be more confident traveler and I always question if I would be accepted not only as a black women, but a black women that is plus size traveling anywhere I go. I've been solo traveling for the past 4 years and I have been so blessed to visit other countries that have been more than welcoming. And I pray that wherever I go I pray that I'm always covered and treated with the respect and love that I give to others.
Turkey has no issue with colours but to be honest we do not welcome arab so much .... as long as you are not arab I do not think that you will experience racisizm
That's amazing to hear you speaking on a positive way about your experience in Turkey. But I'm telling you Turkey is not that you saw. If you had an overstay trip there or faced any issues of any type, you'd be surprised and things would be way different from what you had as experience there.
Pleased that you had a great time here!! I cant say we dont have racist people here but i guess our racist people less malicious idk just glad you didnt meet them and i hope we as a country get better in treating foreginers.
If you are a tourist, no one will say anything to you. On the contrary, he welcomes you with a smile, helps you and tries to be your friend. The problem is the people's reaction against immigrants, as the extra 20% population suddenly filled into the country with the government's immigration policy (such a figure does not exist in any other country in the world) begins to consume all the resources of the country, completely disrupting the balance of supply and demand and disrupting all balances in the country. The house I lived in for 1,200 liras 5 years ago is now worth 20,000 liras. From where? because the number of houses in the country is not enough anymore. Less housing, more demand. This goes for everything. Food, drink, work, health, school. Therefore, people are no longer as tolerant as they were 5 or 10 years ago. If you are thinking of settling in the country, everything changes. People are fed up now. and with the change of government, most of this extra 15-20 million population in the country will leave. We have to do this. Otherwise we are about to sink.
Bad experience for me as a black muslim woman just terrible i was even abused on 3 different occasions just terrible ill never come back threw that way and ill never book with turkish airlines NEVER!!!
"Tis a sad reflection on the enduring savagery of the human species that videos of this nature still need to be posted, that some ethnic groups still experience apprehension. at the idea of venturing into certain areas of our little planet, that they are, , as a matter of fact, sometimes treated worse than dogs. What will it take for more to realise that our hopes fears, pains , our capacity for love and compassion are, with few, or little exception, identical, that we need one another? An alien invasion? We need to stop seeing only the vehicle and focus instead on the passenger who is identical to all the others, . God bless the noble Turkish people. Om, shanti, peace.
Türk milleti oldukça misafirperverdir. İnsanlara mümkün olduğunca yardım etmeye ve ilgi göstermeye çalışır. Umarım her misafir ülkemizi ziyaret ettikten sonra mutlu bir şekilde ayrılır. 😊🇹🇷 Genelde İngilizce’miz çok iyi değil bu arada.
People in highly touristic or university-centric metropolitan places like İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Eskişehir are used to black people and all kinds of diverse people for sure. The East and North are a different story but honestly you have no reason to go there anyways~
I felt the exact same for the police when I moved to Germany. Turkish people may be the most welcome people, this is our culture. We wouldn’t care where you are from but would appreciate that you visit us. This is the same for the police, they are also turkish at the end. But I don’t agree with the safety. I have seen such bad scenes especially in Gezi parki, which led me to leave the country. And when I asked a questuon to a police in Berlin, in front of hundreds of protestors, he was answering my question with a smile (cannot imagine the same in Turkey). I am not saying that all the police is the same, but I can say, as a foreign, you are exantric for people. About the racism (for the black people), Turkey doesn’t have such a thing. We have a huge Ottoman history where we interacted with tens of nations from Africa, this is not new for our culture. Enjoy Istanbul, it is a great city, be careful in Samatya if you ever go there (adami keserler)
@@Obe_omer There are traitors in every society, and sometimes they can even be the top administrators. And this is valid for every period. History will write them as traitors
@@Obe_omer There are traitors in every society, and sometimes they can even be the top administrators. And this is valid for every period. History will write them as traitors
a lot of africans specially nigerians go to study in turkey. it is suprising that turkey is so toleranc considering they are a muslim country and these countries usually don't allow people of different religions/skin colors to enter.
@@baranmarap I am not denying that there are muslims who act racist. However he said "considering it is a muslim country" implying it is part of muslim/islamic practise. It is not. Majority of muslims are not racist, that goes against their religion. Also you have islamic black countries in Africa.
It's pretty ridiculous considering the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. It's delusional and so sad how uneducated most Turks are regarding the history of the country and all the peoples that were wiped out, genocided and forced away in Pogroms based on being different. Don't even get me started on the Black Eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire. The education system of Turkey is really horrid, too. Sub par learning.
Turkey is the inheritor of the Ottoman Empire and it is known that Ottoman Empire was involved in slave trade; but there are relatively few Afro-Turks (estimated between 5000-20000.) Makes one wonder what happened to the descendants of the African slaves or did Ottomans have predominantly white slaves?
They had both African and European slaves. Black African slave men were eunuchs and castrated, not allowed to intermix with Turks or Ottomans, especially in the Harem. 'Arap Mammy' and sexualised tropes re: Black women also exist in Turkey. You can also learn of other instances of racism, othering, exclusion, prejudice, discrimination, and more when reading about the Armenian Genocide, Greek Pogrom, Kurds, and many other such cases. Turks are no different than any other nation or people but TR gov and education system has convinced many of the opposite and that no prejudice has ever occurred/occurs in Turkey or Ottoman history because of some supposed Islamic enlightenment. Blacks and Africans and dark-skinned peoples, in general, are viewed in Turkey as entertainment, house staff or for using sexually. Many Turks are so deep in their prejudice and assumptions of others that they don't even understand that these jokes they view as harmless are actually harmful. They also have many jokes re: Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, etc.
As I am not historian, I am going to try to answer your question as much I can. First of all, current Turkey territory is just a small part of the Ottoman empire. In fact, if you do some research you can find that there is also Afro-irakian for example. Secondly, euneuch were castrated. In consequence, they were not able to have children. Lastly, if I am right, children of slaves were born free. They were not consider as slave. In addition, during the ottoman empire, people were divided according their religion. So, children of slave, if they were muslim, were allowed to marry muslim people of the ottoman empire (I don’t how the situation was among christian and jewish community). Because of these multi-ethnical marriage, a mixed-blood population was created. For example, Ahmet Ali Çelikten, a black turkish aviator, was married with a turkish woman. So, the current Afro-Turks may be small in number, because not each mixed-blood turkish guy is aware of their ancestor, specifically, if the black phenotype was lost among generation. In fact, in one video about Afro-Turks, an Afro-Turk women has such a light skin color that it was difficult to guess that she is an Afro-Turks. In her case, as she knows her past she was able to identify her-self as Afro-Turks. The other problem in Turkey, old uneducated villager members used to call Afro-Turk as Arab, which contributed to create some confusion among families. In current Turkey, only people who know that they have at least one african ancestor identify themselves as Afro-Turks. The others just know their potentiel Afro-Turkness. As I am not a historian, in the case I am wrong please tell me in the comment :)
Yunanistan'a kaçmaya çalışan göçmenlerden bahsediyor sanırım. Her gün yüzlerce Afrikalı veya suriyeli Pakistanlı kaçak yollarla avrupada gitmek istiyor.
There is a pact between Turkey and EU to stop migrant flux to EU. So unfortunately, Turkey had to stop all those refugees crossing the sea. As a Turk, I hate that, we are already full with refugees @@Paintyourlifestyle
I dont understand this video ?? This guy talking turkey dont like black people ??? Then u know nothing about turkey .... u dont know nothing.... We are the same
I would like to know something in the current black trend of making everything about race and entitlement. What exactly is the kind of treatment you expect from people?
Missionaries are least welcome here. You are right. Regular Christian, no one cares. I don’t defend it but want to give a little background. Turks have a bitter history with missionaries in 19th century and consider them all spies and provocateurs for that reason. Stereotypes are strong.
You mentioned your friend who had a different experience. I'm curious to know her perspective as well, could you let me know how to find her video? (Sorry if this has already been asked, i scrolled a little and didnt see)
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Watch all my Turkey videos here - th-cam.com/video/uiRNE95stHQ/w-d-xo.html
You can call your own country
🦃Turkey🦃 But the name of my country is 🇹🇷TÜRKİYE🇹🇷
Connect with us jamaican turkish family
Did they call you a zengi 😂😂😂
My impression is that Turkish people are nice and hospitable. I can't wait to go there.
Thank you!
you are welcome, you will have a great time there
I was planning to go last month, got my visa back in August bc I was originally going to go then, but decided on Scotland instead, after already applying for my visa. I was looking up flights in Oct but my sister advised me to hold off on visiting. She said they were protesting due to everything going on with Israel, currently.
I was really disappointed because I’ve been excited to go, since August. To top it off, I actually met 2 people (one, on my way to Scotland, and the second, on my way back ) that I ended up having conversations with, who were both visiting family in Antalya. They both said I would love it (they also both were very warm) so that kinda made me feel like it was fate 😂. I’m really hoping that I can at least go next year.
I want to visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, and possibly Antalya.
What did you like most about it? Did you only visit Istanbul? Sorry for the super long message 🙃.
@@Ohwownotthat hey its all good! Appreciate you listening to what I had to say, I lived and traveled through Turkey for 3 months. It was one of the best moments in my life. Im from Los Angeles so it was the little things that made it aesthetically pleasing for me. Beautiful Skys, Blue waters, different demographic, food, culture everything. I traveled North, West and South of the country. I have a playlist of 20 videos on Turkey on my channel, I would highly suggest checking it out to see the different environments of the country!
Thanks for the reply! 🙏🏽
Sorry if you mentioned traveling through different parts, in the video, and I just missed it. I have a habit of reading the comments while watching the video 😂🤦🏽♀️.
All of the reasons you’ve listed, sounds like all of the reasons I need to get there. Visit in 2024 coming soon 🤞🏽.
Again, thanks for the reply! I will definitely check out your other videos 🙂
Welcome to my country Türkiye we are very polite we love all people from other country and other culture i have many african friends comming to Türkiye it make me happy and they love it i love all African people you people are very kind come to Türkiye one more time 🇹🇷❤
❤
And at the same time there is a lot of racism towards Afghan Arabs, etc
Halk arasinda g*vat diye kelime var bilir misin
@@AlfariziZakaria Not racism. Ethnic conflict because of their mentality. Uncivilized people are not our cup of tea buddy.
Thank you for your video, it was a good watch. When you mentioned your experiences with Turkish police, I teared up a little, because I got sad about the circumstances in the US. I‘m a Germany Turk, living in Germany and I‘ve also had kinda bad experiences with the German police, so I can relate to a certain extent.
Thats deep, I'm happy to hear you were able to connect with me on that part of this story, really appreciate you listening
I just came back from a week in Istanbul. I am atheist but my interaction with the religious Muslims Turks were the most pleasant. They being so good and caring.
Türkiye'de müslümanlar ortalama %70 ayrıca ortadoğu müslümanı değil Türkiye bu yüzden kimse sizi dininiz için rahatsız etmez
I went to Turkey a few years back. I was traveling through a couple of other countries in Europe, and made it a mission to visit Turkey Istanbul). Being African American, and also practicing Islam, I have to say that my experience was GREAT!!! Yes, I did get some stares, but there was no overt bad behavior or sense of discrimination/disrespect. In fact, of all the places I have been, I felt the most welcome in Turkey. In many cases, people were genuinely curious to hear my life story (i.e. learn about me) when they found out where I was from, and when they found out I practiced Islam. Also, it felt great for a change to be able to eat a diet without having to check all the packages for things that i don't consume (i.e. pork products), go to a historic Mosque to pray, and to participate in Ramadan . It was also enlightening to see peoples of all religions co-existing and living together with respect, and dignity. As one of the persons told me "my religion is what I practice personally, not what I impose on others". I am hoping that I can return one day.
Very nice !! I think Turkish people are very friendly & welcoming from my own experiences here in L.A.,I met quite a lot Turkish people here in my apartment complex & cafes,bookstores & supermarkets & they were/ are all very nice !! 👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
Salaam. Appreciate your experience. In shaa Allah I will be going to Istanbul in a few weeks. Coming from West Africa I was wondering what it would be like as I dress like a Muslim and my wife wears hijab.
@alhassant9204 I know Turkey is a big Muslim country ,so I don't see any issues for you wearing traditional Muslim clothes . I know you'll love the country ! It's been in my bucket list for a long time now ! I hear from people all the positive feedbacks from their trips there !! Indeed only few countries that people telling me wanting to go back are Italy ,Turkey or Argentina !! Some strong love for Nepal & Thailand. Hope you'll have a blast in Turkey 🇹🇷!! 💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️🇹🇷💞
Thank you so much for opening up about your experiences in turkey. I am considering moving for citizenship in Turkey, so I needed this video as reassurance that I will not be disrespected. You have a new subscriber!!
Thanks so much for join the community! I would love to be in your position and move to Turkey, I honestly had a great time there, no complaints
Consider moving to a country you've never been to?
@@jxsilicon9 are you asking me ?
Thank you for sharing, I am thinking of visiting Turkey for a month
Hey no problem, you will absolutely love it, the place is really lively.
Thanks bro I’ll be in Turkey for sure in 2024
Thank you for visiting Turkey and posting a video of your experiences, yabanci 😃. It was very educational. Overall, I hope you enjoyed your stay here. 😊
Thank you, my pleasure!
That’s great to know! Yes, I’ve heard that men and women have different experiences however for the most part I’ve never heard of any having a negative experience there.
absolutely, appreciate you taking the time to listen, thanks so much
Great video! I lived in Berlin for 4 years and had a great time there.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am a Turk, there is no racism here. With that said, despite your remarks, we don't encounter many black people in Turkiye aside from very touristy cities/areas. Some people will give you a stare, because how often can you see a black guy roaming around you know? It's a special thing. In the same fashion, we don't encounter people with really really white skin. So the experience of a really white guy from a Nordic country is the same as a black guy. Redheads will draw the same attention too. Moreover, glancing at people is not considered rude here (I'm not talking about a staring contest).
Those women with "puffy" hair can not escape attention, because they are extremely "foreign" to Turkish people. They look "bold", most Turks will see such hair styles in movies and magazine ads.
Bring forth Margot Robbie and she will get a similar attention too. Will she like it? Probably not!
Edit:
Something else to add here. I'm not a linguist but there was a time before internet where we only saw black people in documentaries about the cannibalistic tribes, or the tales of Arabia etc. There is a very small community of Afro-Turks in Turkiye. So , back then some ignorant people associated the word "yamyam (cannibal)" with blacks. or all blacks were "arabs". There was no ill intent. It'd be like "I saw an arab from USA" .
Another fact is we do not have a word for "n***" , that has no meaning for us, blank. Since that is the case, when a translation needed for a movie the translators (who are also not linguists) had to pick a word and used "zenci" in place of the n word. In reality "zenci" is based on the Arabic word Zenc(black) and means "people of black origin" and does not contain a derogatory context. Zenci , siyahi, siyah all mean black. Nothing more.
TLDR, nobody in Turkiye can yell a bad word for a black person. 99.9% of the times people mean "black". We do swear a lot though after all, in our society it's pretty normal to call our best friends "pimps".
But I hear a lot of racism against Arabs
@@AlfariziZakaria Arapları 1. Dünya savaşında hainlik yapanların defalarca affetmemize rağmen tekrar ayaklananların kafasını kesip denize attık diye torunları/ suudiler bizi kötülüyorlar bizi hep arkadan vurduğu için onları sevmiyoruz
@@AlfariziZakariaırkçılıktan değil!!!!
Bizim Afrikalı vezirimiz bile vardı düşün 🤔
Avrupalılar köle olarak kaçırırken biz bağ kurduk dost olduk
I hear you !! I felt my heart ached when you mentioned of police here in the States 💔 😢 REALLY, I am tearing up myself right now !! The things should change !! About time !!! Some policemen are lovely ,real nice ,but over all ,they have an attitude problem !! Very demanding, bossy !! Too much ! And they do profiling !! Some think black people are exaggerating, I WAS ONE OF 'EM living in Tokyo !! I was WRONG !! I have seen it ,felt it living here for so long !! Over 35 years now. It's a shame !! The world is fixed . And SOME white very powerful people do not want black people to be very very powerful. Because you've got the powers / capabilities/ talents more that they're afraid of you !!! Jealousy/ fears become hatred in this world !! So silly & so sad. All the black people should be proud !! They degrade you ,not underestimate,nor underrated you !! They're making sure that you won't get too powerful in this world !! I used to think black people were drama queens ,not longer !! I realized that about two decades ago !!
There are tobs of black people in jails all over the U.S.,yet they're minority in this country ,so that the statistics tells us the most blacks are criminal !! Lol. You see ? How wrong that is !? The majorities of shoplifters are mid age white women ,they don't go to jail really ,they're waved many times !! But,if you're a black person & steals a loaf of bread ,you go to a jail here !! The majorities of serial killers are white !! Lol. I believe the majorities of school shooters & terrorists ( domestic ) are white people !! Lol But , more black or brown people get pulled over while driving in the U.S.!! Very sad facts . 😔
What you want he shouldn't go to jail if he has done a violation because he is black. It's not about race or color which doesn't matter it is just statistics and reality we see in American society. And I am not a so-called "racist white American" I am an immigrant from East Europe. You can see in the street how each community behaves and in what manner. So if you have done a violation you have to be responsible for it.
@ramilazimov3576 If you don't live in the U.S.,then you really don't know what you're talking about !! Statics should show more white criminals in jails here because they're the majority. But, the most of tgem are blacks ,then Hispanic, etc. You see what I'm talking about !!?? That almost means the majority of black people are criminals ! Lol.
@@ramilazimov3576yet are in denial of the racism because they actually do that and black people are profiled why say it's not ab😮race
Me too...
@ramilazimov3576 I agree!...I just HATE being judged and treated badly because of how I look. I don't want to be treated like a criminal when I'm not.
When I was younger there were not many black people (I live in a business center in İstanbul) but later their population went up in where I live. I always had a shy perspective on black people because I knew the west had racism issues and I didn't want to come of as like that so I always tried to be as mindful as possible and not stare at their soul when I started seeing them for the first time. Now, I am used to it and I don't have an urge to stare at all. Mind you, the staring urge was due to fasination. For the most part, Seeing a black people used to be like seeing a very tall person or someone who is very muscle-y, it is all about being in awe. Especially with African women's colorful braids and outfits, it was all about the culture for me. LIKE you are right, the hair dude. So majestic for a regular Turkish person. Right now, I feel like most people either don't care you are black(used to it) or feel close to you because they parallel you guys with famous people or emphatize with your stories. Racism is maily caused upon black people if a) this is a young boy being brainwashed by american content (I met some of those guys in school, they are literally such America-boos) b) Racist towards everyone (ultranationalist scary people) c) They think you are an arab/syrian (because let's be real the main source of racism in Turkey is racism towards other middle eastern countries) d) They are from a place where there are not many black people or they see them but unable to talk with them because of low-english proficiency and they are being the warm-hearted but ignorant Turkish selves. Please do not mind them. They are actually ignorant to any race they don't know, and they might be annoying to anyone introvert. A tourist is a tourist no matter the skin color. Same with flirting guys, they flirt with every tourist and it is not about being black per se, but being a women tourist. Mind them, I think they are most of the time creepy. Not every flirting turkish man is but if they are cat-calling you using you skintone as an ignorant compliment.
From what I have seen, non-tourist black (mostly african) residents in Turkey seen as hardworking people who mind their own business. The only negative streotype I know that they are sometimes considered as lower educated and watch-sellers. There used to be and still are a lot of black watch sellers in Turkey. Idk about their education status or why they exactly work in that occupation more than usual. The thing is this is ,of course, should not be a thing all black residents in Turkey should be judged as. Someone older than 35 rarely has the knowladge of cultural problems of America, like cultural approciation or even the nuances in the language. Younger people are starting to learn through globalizm. (For example, there are not actually a bad word for black people like n-word. However, there used to be discussion about the word Zenci due to translation issues. Translators used the world Zenci as the n-word and used the word siyahi as the respectful version. So some people started to consider zenci as a bad word. However, both words simply mean black and most of the people still use zenci to mean black, nothing degrading.) This has been my experience. However I must admit I haven't done any prior research. So, add your opinion or educate me if my experience was/is unusual.
To tourists about the police: Police are nice if you are just a regular person no matter where you are from. They are very ruthless to protesters tho so be careful if you are in Taksim or somewhere when protests are happening. Also, I mean no one gonna know anything if you don't exhibitly state but I would be careful if you are from a sexual minority. Homophobia exists in Turkey. They probably wouldn't mind it because you are yabancı but middle aged agressive guys who happened to be police might go off randomly if you kiss on the street or something. (minus the really touristic mediterranean areas)
Thank you so much for the video, Have fun travels : )
Bu kararliliktir işte, tebrikler.
@@quackquackquack8913 Ama Turkiyede yapilan demographic degismeyi anlamiyor, Turkler kendi memleketlerinde azinlik olacaklar bu gidisle!
I had been to Turkey many times. Vacationing or for work. I was always welcomed. In my personal experience. Loved Turkey. There are black Turkish people in Izmir. Once in that area I was asked if I was Turkish.😊
I just found your page, and I’m going to Dubai and turkey first the first time (both countries)in September this year, so I needed content frim a black perspective . Thank you , this is great content. Can’t wait to see more places you’ve been to. 😊👊🏾
Thank you so much for watching and listening and thank you for finding my channel, you will find alot of value and resources in the content I provide
Dubai is nothing to turkey
Thank you for sharing your experience. I would love to visit Turkey. I enjoy their culture and language. Your videos were very informative and seemed like you really enjoyed this trip.
I really did, Turkey is one of my favorite countries in the world that I had the pleasure of living in, please experience it for yourself its a great destination.
That " Hair" thing is more related to a Commercial That was super popular like in the early 2000s. Everyone with a Afro ( Dont matter if Male or Female) is a " Bonuskafa" ( Bonushead) and it's nothing degrading, quite the contrary actually
Had no Idea, but Black men don't really carry afros anymore but im sure the results would be the same! its all good just something I noticed
@@Paintyourlifestyle Nah, that's not Race or Skin color related.. A Japanese Dude with an Afro would get Simular reactions.
( Imma send you a link to that Commercial so you can see it for yourself).
The only " Word" we have to describe Black people ( Other then "Zenci" witch means Black Person) is Amokachi.
Amokachi was a Nigerian Football player who played in the Turkish leauge for Years and was Universally very adored by the entire Country. So when Turks call you Amokachi, the like you.
( Racisim as you know it from the US hasn't made it here, praise to Allah)
th-cam.com/video/KV1rxwY4f4c/w-d-xo.html
Well I made my decision. I am going to Turkey! I am an African American (half Zulu) and I have a tutor who is Turkish and she is really nice to me and she doesn’t care if I am black.
@@quentinbecker8185 I'm Turkish, I hope you had a nice time. We Turks have a lot to learn from African Americans.
I'm MOST DEFINITELY watching your video of Blacks in Turkey...DEFINITELY!
damn this video made me happy
I'm glad it had a positive affect on you!
your turkey videos are always the best
Appreciate the compliment!
My friend is half african and half turkish grew up in france. Pretty normal mix because you see it alot in europe
Thank you for visiting my country. Im from İstanbul❤❤
No problem
I’m African African I live in Turkey Turks show me much love
Im glad to hear this!
My husband and I are planning on moving there some time in 2024 where can I meet other black people in general in turkey? We’re thinking Istanbul or izmir
Im black American too. Do the men get aggressive if you date turkish women? I'll be there next week in instanbul. If I like it definitely want to come back.
@@James-ys6wm How was your dating experience?
@@James-ys6wmHow was your experience?
My heart bleeds for african americnas in country they are born in please thats country people are crazy its so sad what they do o people of colors... Mashalla may God bless your journey 🙏
I am an American and black but I am not African 😂 I know it's confusing and the younger generation like to be call African American but I do not ..yes I have African descendants. Great great great grandparents.. so I am American 😂😂 .. just wanted to inform you that some black people don't want to be called African American..
Great insight, great country
i really liked your video!! i felt like you were talking to me, keep going!!
Thank you so much!!
Useful insights. I plan on going there myself
Glad I could give you some insights !
Thank you so much for this video. I inspire to be more confident traveler and I always question if I would be accepted not only as a black women, but a black women that is plus size traveling anywhere I go. I've been solo traveling for the past 4 years and I have been so blessed to visit other countries that have been more than welcoming. And I pray that wherever I go I pray that I'm always covered and treated with the respect and love that I give to others.
Turkey has no issue with colours but to be honest we do not welcome arab so much .... as long as you are not arab I do not think that you will experience racisizm
That's amazing to hear you speaking on a positive way about your experience in Turkey. But I'm telling you Turkey is not that you saw. If you had an overstay trip there or faced any issues of any type, you'd be surprised and things would be way different from what you had as experience there.
I was there for 4 months, I didn’t everything but yeah I get what you’re saying
Pleased that you had a great time here!! I cant say we dont have racist people here but i guess our racist people less malicious idk just glad you didnt meet them and i hope we as a country get better in treating foreginers.
Thank you so much for this. 🤗
If you are a tourist, no one will say anything to you. On the contrary, he welcomes you with a smile, helps you and tries to be your friend. The problem is the people's reaction against immigrants, as the extra 20% population suddenly filled into the country with the government's immigration policy (such a figure does not exist in any other country in the world) begins to consume all the resources of the country, completely disrupting the balance of supply and demand and disrupting all balances in the country. The house I lived in for 1,200 liras 5 years ago is now worth 20,000 liras. From where? because the number of houses in the country is not enough anymore. Less housing, more demand. This goes for everything. Food, drink, work, health, school. Therefore, people are no longer as tolerant as they were 5 or 10 years ago. If you are thinking of settling in the country, everything changes. People are fed up now. and with the change of government, most of this extra 15-20 million population in the country will leave. We have to do this. Otherwise we are about to sink.
As a Pakistani background, just came back from Alanya, i Will Say turkish people are Very Very polite and kind alhamdulillah 😊
I’m African American visiting Turkey now the food is good!!
Bad experience for me as a black muslim woman just terrible i was even abused on 3 different occasions just terrible ill never come back threw that way and ill never book with turkish airlines NEVER!!!
"Tis a sad reflection on the enduring savagery of the human species that videos of this nature still need to be posted, that some ethnic groups still experience apprehension. at the idea of venturing into certain areas of our little planet, that they are, , as a matter of fact, sometimes treated worse than dogs. What will it take for more to realise that our hopes fears, pains , our capacity for love and compassion are, with few, or little exception, identical, that we need one another? An alien invasion? We need to stop seeing only the vehicle and focus instead on the passenger who is identical to all the others, . God bless the noble Turkish people. Om, shanti, peace.
Watching as an English Black woman looking to live short term in Turkey, but can’t find any videos
yeah theres not much on this topic
I'm so happy you had such a positive experience. Did you fly on Turkish airlines and if so how was your experience?
I did, I loved it, I had a great experience on the airlines
Türk milleti oldukça misafirperverdir. İnsanlara mümkün olduğunca yardım etmeye ve ilgi göstermeye çalışır. Umarım her misafir ülkemizi ziyaret ettikten sonra mutlu bir şekilde ayrılır. 😊🇹🇷 Genelde İngilizce’miz çok iyi değil bu arada.
, 😂 😂 😂 irkciliğin krali var türkiyede, 😂 😂 50 yasindayim. Sivasliyim. Neler gördüm. 😂😂
Her yerde iyi ve kötü insanlar vardır.
You always Welcome Broski 😊🎉
and thanks so much!
My wife is Turkish my son is 22 in London you will see Turkish and black people mix a lot
There are some but i wouldnt say a lot.
Majority of the Turks know black people as football/basketball players lol that's why they'd expect them to be tall & fit
thats fair, I wish you could have seen the disappointment in these women's eyes when I told them Im from America, they were so confused lol
If I travel to Instanbul, do I need to learn the Turkish Language?
@@shawnblack4442 no it’s not necessary, English is widely spoken in Istanbul
@@Paintyourlifestyle Ty brother!
Police won't help u when the bar scams u when u get 2 drinks and they charge u $300
ASASASASSASASASASSASASASASASASASAS BAYRAKLARI AS TÜRKİYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TÜRKİYE MENTIONED
What about dating? Are Turkish women open to dating out?
Yeah absolutely!
@@Paintyourlifestyle Passport agency, here I come!
@@thebighousencaaattendancer478 my man you will be in heaven trust me just talk :))))
What about Antalya? Did you visit Antalya ?
I did, it was great
People in highly touristic or university-centric metropolitan places like İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Eskişehir are used to black people and all kinds of diverse people for sure. The East and North are a different story but honestly you have no reason to go there anyways~
I felt the exact same for the police when I moved to Germany. Turkish people may be the most welcome people, this is our culture. We wouldn’t care where you are from but would appreciate that you visit us. This is the same for the police, they are also turkish at the end. But I don’t agree with the safety. I have seen such bad scenes especially in Gezi parki, which led me to leave the country. And when I asked a questuon to a police in Berlin, in front of hundreds of protestors, he was answering my question with a smile (cannot imagine the same in Turkey). I am not saying that all the police is the same, but I can say, as a foreign, you are exantric for people.
About the racism (for the black people), Turkey doesn’t have such a thing. We have a huge Ottoman history where we interacted with tens of nations from Africa, this is not new for our culture.
Enjoy Istanbul, it is a great city, be careful in Samatya if you ever go there (adami keserler)
believe me when they use the word yabancı, they only mean you are someone who doesn't speak turkish, that's all.
It’s all good 😌
👏👏🎉🎉
Happy to see you here!
Türkçe Biliyor Musunuz?
No I don't speak Turkish haha
Çünkü Osmanlı döneminde Afrikalıları çok sevdik bize hiç Arapların aksine ihanet etmediler. Çocuklarımızın süt annesi oldular.
Pkk ile işbirliği yaparak hainlik eden Türkler de var
Some turks also betrayed the ottoman empire for your information
@@Obe_omerAs a Turk i agree with you
@@Obe_omer There are traitors in every society, and sometimes they can even be the top administrators. And this is valid for every period. History will write them as traitors
@@Obe_omer There are traitors in every society, and sometimes they can even be the top administrators. And this is valid for every period. History will write them as traitors
a lot of africans specially nigerians go to study in turkey. it is suprising that turkey is so toleranc considering they are a muslim country and these countries usually don't allow people of different religions/skin colors to enter.
Even though there are a lot of muslim people here, Turkey is still a secular country. You'll not get discriminated for your religion/skin color.
What are you talking about. Islam doesnt allow racism. You should find muslims the most tolerant of them all.
@@Vicky_1 Islam doesn't allow most bad things but feel free to watch Turkish news and see what people who call themselves Muslims do everyday :)
@@baranmarap I am not denying that there are muslims who act racist. However he said "considering it is a muslim country" implying it is part of muslim/islamic practise. It is not. Majority of muslims are not racist, that goes against their religion. Also you have islamic black countries in Africa.
It's pretty ridiculous considering the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. It's delusional and so sad how uneducated most Turks are regarding the history of the country and all the peoples that were wiped out, genocided and forced away in Pogroms based on being different. Don't even get me started on the Black Eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire. The education system of Turkey is really horrid, too. Sub par learning.
Turkey is the inheritor of the Ottoman Empire and it is known that Ottoman Empire was involved in slave trade; but there are relatively few Afro-Turks (estimated between 5000-20000.) Makes one wonder what happened to the descendants of the African slaves or did Ottomans have predominantly white slaves?
this is a good question!
Turks castrated their African slaves. They didn't want them having children.
They had both African and European slaves. Black African slave men were eunuchs and castrated, not allowed to intermix with Turks or Ottomans, especially in the Harem. 'Arap Mammy' and sexualised tropes re: Black women also exist in Turkey. You can also learn of other instances of racism, othering, exclusion, prejudice, discrimination, and more when reading about the Armenian Genocide, Greek Pogrom, Kurds, and many other such cases. Turks are no different than any other nation or people but TR gov and education system has convinced many of the opposite and that no prejudice has ever occurred/occurs in Turkey or Ottoman history because of some supposed Islamic enlightenment. Blacks and Africans and dark-skinned peoples, in general, are viewed in Turkey as entertainment, house staff or for using sexually. Many Turks are so deep in their prejudice and assumptions of others that they don't even understand that these jokes they view as harmless are actually harmful. They also have many jokes re: Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, etc.
As I am not historian, I am going to try to answer your question as much I can.
First of all, current Turkey territory is just a small part of the Ottoman empire. In fact, if you do some research you can find that there is also Afro-irakian for example.
Secondly, euneuch were castrated. In consequence, they were not able to have children.
Lastly, if I am right, children of slaves were born free. They were not consider as slave.
In addition, during the ottoman empire, people were divided according their religion. So, children of slave, if they were muslim, were allowed to marry muslim people of the ottoman empire (I don’t how the situation was among christian and jewish community). Because of these multi-ethnical marriage, a mixed-blood population was created. For example, Ahmet Ali Çelikten, a black turkish aviator, was married with a turkish woman.
So, the current Afro-Turks may be small in number, because not each mixed-blood turkish guy is aware of their ancestor, specifically, if the black phenotype was lost among generation. In fact, in one video about Afro-Turks, an Afro-Turk women has such a light skin color that it was difficult to guess that she is an Afro-Turks. In her case, as she knows her past she was able to identify her-self as Afro-Turks.
The other problem in Turkey, old uneducated villager members used to call Afro-Turk as Arab, which contributed to create some confusion among families.
In current Turkey, only people who know that they have at least one african ancestor identify themselves as Afro-Turks. The others just know their potentiel Afro-Turkness.
As I am not a historian, in the case I am wrong please tell me in the comment :)
Sorry I wanted to say «The others just don’t know their potentiel Afro-Turkness. »
Do you know Turkish
No I don't know Turkish
@@Paintyourlifestyle Ben Türkçe ve İngilizce ve lehçe biliyorum
@@Paintyourlifestyle neden
Bilmek zorundamı? Çocukmusun sen ne saçma soru. Adam türkiyede yaşamıyor.
Bro, they just arrested over 150 black people yesterday, from boat cruise, what are you talking about
Can you link me an article to that? I cant find it online
Yunanistan'a kaçmaya çalışan göçmenlerden bahsediyor sanırım. Her gün yüzlerce Afrikalı veya suriyeli Pakistanlı kaçak yollarla avrupada gitmek istiyor.
There is a pact between Turkey and EU to stop migrant flux to EU. So unfortunately, Turkey had to stop all those refugees crossing the sea. As a Turk, I hate that, we are already full with refugees
@@Paintyourlifestyle
I dont understand this video ??
This guy talking turkey dont like black people ???
Then u know nothing about turkey .... u dont know nothing....
We are the same
I would like to know something in the current black trend of making everything about race and entitlement. What exactly is the kind of treatment you expect from people?
It’s the most racist country I ever visited
What happened?
Explain.. please.
Black people are also racists
Really?
Racism in Turkey is mainly towards foreigner Arabs for mostly historical reasons.
Why cant people just go somewhere and not be a damn crayon?
what do you mean?
Try to go there as a Christian 😆
Its normal to hate christians who believe in a book that says "kill people who have other religions"
Missionaries are least welcome here. You are right. Regular Christian, no one cares. I don’t defend it but want to give a little background. Turks have a bitter history with missionaries in 19th century and consider them all spies and provocateurs for that reason. Stereotypes are strong.
Is normal. Turkey is a muslim country
Do you know his religion ? lol
You mentioned your friend who had a different experience. I'm curious to know her perspective as well, could you let me know how to find her video?
(Sorry if this has already been asked, i scrolled a little and didnt see)
no worries, here is her video, hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/z9SLL_xluDQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=_DcttiGRhCeJa4xl