That recent comment above saying it’s not Afro Turk “ seems to be negative .. as the translation really is more like a rambled comment with words that maybe taken derogatorily
Maybe you need to study more ! Not necessarily from a European perspective . Dig deep into the history of the Turks and you will see that the Turks were of dark Olive complexion , the lighter skin Turks ( Turkish ) people are Hybrids , mulattos , Eurasians people , the Arabians has been mixed as well , the lighter Arabians has faded out ( through amalgamation ) replace the dark Olive complexed people , the Original inhabitants . Those other Arabians are not organic . They too are Eurasians . The Beast has spreaded its seeds amongst the Asiatic Race , and have contaminated through amalgamation ( the mixing between the Asiatic race with the Pale skin Europeans . this is why they are so light . The Moors Amalgamated with the Pale skin Europeans in the West , while the dark Arabs Amalgamated with pale skin race in the East . This is why Northern Africa has a very light population because of the mixing of The two Races , Asiatics and Europeans .
Really !? Awesome !! I am gonna Google it & read it & study some more about that later !! That's very very fascinating ,indeed !! Fabulous !! 👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️💕💞
I am Turkish (white) and living in US last 47 years,I am glad to see they are happy in Turkiye,I wish best of everything to my Afro-Turk brothers and sisters.
yes, Turkish people are lovely people. here in Burundi i once met a turkish attending in a wedding ceremony, and he was so excited to descover our culture.Salutations from Burundi, the Heart of Africa.
I'm originally from Izmir, there are so many Afro Turks in this region whom have been here for generations, Türkiye has a multitude of diversity from countries all over the world..
Thank you so much for sharing. As an African American I want to visit a country that is welcoming Turkey is on my list to visit because I’ve heard the people are incredibly nicest and most respectful people in the world. Thanks again I have now decided where I want to visit when I come to Turkey; Istanbul Izmir and Ankara!
Citizens of the Ottoman Empire - Turks of African descent were great soldiers that fought for Osmanlı padişahları many of them were stationed as governers in Egypt, Crete, Greece, and Turkey.
These area were once black but white washing too place Italy,Greece,Turkey,Egypt and currently the rest of Northern Africa is going through the same test Arabia peninsula is currently done but all were luo people currently the diminishing ethnic group of black euroasia and Africa.
@@ayoliacoli5692 please stop claiming everywhere. It doesnt matter. fact of matter is TURKish has an empire once upon a time that ruled alot of land. and within this land people migrated the Black Turks. They are not indigenious to the land
While watching this video, a memory of the American historian Heath W. Lowry came to my mind. Lowry came to a small village in Balıkesir, Turkey in the late 1950s to study Turkish history and learn Turkish. His goal was to stay in the village for a year and learn Turkish. The villagers and the village chief only listened to the radio back then. One day they ask Lowry about the events in America and what a Negro is. Lowry cannot explain exactly what it is. Months later, he and the chief go to the center of the town. Then they sit in a coffeehouse and have a drink when a black man comes in, says hello in Turkish and sits down. Lowry turns to the chief and says 'look, that man is a black man'. The chief doesn't understand and says 'no, that's Mehmet Aga, he's not black, he's our next villager'. Lowry says 'no, look, he is black in color'. Finally the chief understands and says, 'well, if his color is black, why are you excluding them? You can see a similar incident in the memoirs of former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. When he went to America in the 1940s as a young journalist, he was surprised to see the racism against blacks. You can also see many Afro Turks in Anadoluhisarı, Istanbul.
Thank you for this video ❤️ I did one of my final papers on the Afro-Turkish community and am hoping to meet with the community in İzmir when I visit again. ✨
Wow, this is just a very well done video. The Afro-Turk community is not something widely known across Türkiye so this content is both informative and helpful. Thank you for this.
Thank you for this video. There are so many groups of African descendants living across that world that are not yet known by many so videos like this are the only way for us to get to know our brothers and sisters across the seas. 🙏🏾
I know this may be hard to take in for some individuals but Africans used to travel, they sailed the seas (first ever migration- 3 groups.. a. Settled in Madagascar.. b. Settled in Asian Island Filipinos Malaysia moving further up and c. The strongest of the group settled in what we call Australia. Growing into what we know as aboriginal) the first great migration known to man with evidence and comparisons can be found in details online journals, credited university, it should even take reading extensive literature but even today with digital visual, we can see and hear interviews of Afro Asian. Afro American telling stories with close similaries of the ‘genesis’ as told to them by their ancestors.
@@missqt48 Yep they settled in my island and Madagascar. I'm from The Comoros Islands which are small islands located next to Madagascar. Proud African islander.
@missqt48 I don't know about " genesis" part ,but I do agree with you on others ! I mean ,I can see Japanese ( I am Japanese live in the States )from south have the features similar to black people & their skins are much darker than regular Japanese. You can see them if you watch Japanese high school baseball championship games !! We ,Japanese used to believe & very proud ( silly !! ) of being " pure bred " !! Lol We recently discovered we've got Filipino, Mongolian, Russian & Portguise blood in us !!! Lol not to mention,Chinese & Korean ,off course ! 👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
My husband and I have recently purchased a village house in Tire , Izmir..a small town that have a population of Afro Turks.. I have also had the honour and pleasure of meeting Beyhan and Mr Shakir .. truly beautiful and humble people..they had invited me to a village wedding.. that's when I realized there's a thriving and close knitted AfroTurk community consisting of young and old..and very much resemble black people of the diaspora..(I actually saw a look alike of my daughter).. I look forward to getting to know and becoming friends with them...
Neyin kafası bu .Nezaman Türkiye’de ten rengi göze batan bir ayırtmacılık olduğu. Benimde kuzenlerim afro Türk anne ve baba tarafında ve üztelik kivremiz afro türk. Neyin havası bu ?
Same in Iran, lots of "Afro-Iranians", mainly living in the South of Iran. My uncle is "Afro-Iranian", though I wouldn't call him or anyone "Afro-Iranian", just Iranian will do.
We do not call them Afro-Turks either, this is a new thing and I think it is related to the association mentioned in the video. There is a lot of African descent in my family. But I don't think there is any harm in defining themselves that way if they want to. After all, some people may not want to break away from their roots. In my opinion, they should remain as they are with their colors and culture rather than melting into society. It would be nice if there was a community in Turkey that still maintains African culture, but unfortunately, people who move away from their land also move away from their culture.
I've watched a lot of videos of the Afro Turks. Initially, I too didn't know their story and existence until I saw a segment on TH-cam. I can confidently say that if I closed my eyes, then it would be like listening to your average Turkish uncle or auntie. There was a particular clip of a village women saying that they would call her "Arap" and tell her to "go back home". She rightfully stated that she was born and raised in Turkey and she wouldn't know of those lands and the daily happenings. I might be saying controversial here but the "Turk" moniker in Turkey is nothing more than a nationality status. We are a people who's ancestors were travelers. We have a history of assimilation. The Turks didn't give much credence to a notion of racial purity. You can run a DNA test on 100 Turks and each one would have different admixtures. Saying that your are a "Turk" because you look a particular way is just silly.
I'll add that we weren't averse to Afro Turks. We knew of Esmeray and Defne Joy foster and their deaths were a great pain for the Turkish populace. The sheer amount of Afro Turks being tucked in small communities and the history of why they were bought here would be more surprising.
Love the video. Hate the title. I've always known about AfroTurks. Knew a few grewing up. Can't believe you didn't reference Ahmet Ali çelikten, first black fighter pilot. Or Esmeray, afro-turkish actress. Or Mansur, afro-turkish singer.
@@Paintyourlifestyle am African myself but I have known about the afro Turks for a long time and I have seen many Turkish people who definitely look mixed and I can tell they have African ancestry in them infant most Turkish people look mixed with either African or Arabic and some with European and very few with Asian so I don't think putting that title is really good because there not really Hidden it's just that most of them now don't look dark skinned and they don't call themselves afro Turks
Did you reach out to these people and they accepted your interview requests? I am ecstatic about what you did. I am in disbelief that you turned this into a reality. You flew all that way to Turkey? Knowing nothing about it. Expecting..what did you expect? And how did this happen? Unbelievable. I envy you. I applaud you
Yes I reached out! It was a little bit of emailing back and forth but we were able to set up a date and time to meet! Lucky for me I was already in Turkey when I flew to Izmir. I traveled from Istanbul so it was a little inexpensive. I did some research about them know what questions I wanted to ask and let the rest flow. What you saw now is the end result of my interview with them.
I enjoyed this Video, it’s not about being surprised that there are Afro Turks living in areas of Turkey,for thousands of years there have been people of all races living in this region even before “Turkey “ as a nation existed, I love the Turkish Culture, it is beautiful, and I find beauty in every Culture that is on the Planet!❤
The first lady sounds like a Turkish person speaking english :) It's interesting to see. I had no idea Afro Turks where there. I've been to turkey before and I unfortunately only saw one black person. It's a beautiful country and they have the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.
I thought that too, I've seen Africans migrating to turkey for better opportunities but Africans born and raised in Turkey is something new for me, they are all in Izmir
AFROTURK BIZIM TURKCEMIZ DEYILDIR BU SOZCUYU BATILIASIKARLARI 20 SENE EVEL SOKTULAR BIZ ZENCITURKLER DERIZ ARAPTURKLERI DERIZ BIZ BALKANTURKLERI DERIZ BIZ ASYA TURKLERI DERIZ BIZ AFRIKA KITASINDAKI LERINE ZENCITURK DERIZ BIZLERDE KUCUMSEME BIRISINI ASAGILAMA ITAP YOKTUR AFROTURK DIYE BIZLERDE YOKTUR OLMUYAN SOZCUYU NIYE ZORLA TURKCEMIZI KIRLETIYORSUNUZ BUNADA KIMSENI HAKI YOKTUR
Thank you for this video. I am an American black who lived in Izmir in the '80s and '90s. Best experiences of my many life travels abroad. Merhaba to my friends Pam, Sam, and Gungar! ❤
Wow! I am glad I gave across this video. I feel like whenever we, as Black people, travel we always have to gauge whether a place is wholly racist, a little racist, or not racist at all. It's sad the world is shaped this way. I would love to experience Izmir. The Afro-Turk people remind me of us, African Americans, who have been separated from our original cultures, (traditions and language), and are anxious to reconnect some kind of way. Thanks for sharing this.
Indeed lovely piece . I’m in Tire and have been 3 months during which time I have been going around the touristic areas hoping to see . Recently returning from a bazar , one Afro Turk and her son and I approached each other . The smiles were exchanged even 5 feet apart . Imagine brief but impactful . I could see the welcome surprise in both their eyes and faces , I was struck by her son’s smile and light of excitement in his eyes . My Caribbean friends living here have already made friends with Ms Bayhan .. there was a wedding in the area recently . Apparently the inter marriages happen much and so not all Afro Turks are darker skinned . I’m hoping on next trip to be more engaged, especially in Education
This is so cool 😎 I'm sitting in the airport (ASR-Kayseri) watching this and wishing I could add a couple more days to my trip. I'd love to meet these ladies.
Very informative video. Just goes to show how Africans are all over the world (pretty much). Afro Turks appear to be very integrated into their local communities. Just heard of their existence today and had to look them up.
YES! This is my goal, this is the power of social media and youtube of course bringing insight to the voiceless, I am really happy you found this channel and this Documentary. These people are looking for their true roots and it does tie to Ghana and Nigeria, Hope to see you on the next video.
Amazing! I would love more info about the afro-Abkhazians as well. If you have never been to Georgia, you'll be overwhelmed with beauty. The Abkahazia region may or may not be open to certain passport holders especially considering the war. I think it would be amazing thing to look into!
@@Paintyourlifestyle Don't miss it. The culture is fascinating and I guarantee not what you would expect. You could spend forever researching the history, cultures and languages in the Caucasus region.
I am actually Abkhazian from Turkey. My ancestors from both sides came to Turkey around 1880. We still have relatives there and my sister visited them 7 years ago but I have never been there. I was told it’s beautiful there. There is a big Abkhazian community in Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
Ahmet Ali Çelikten aka İzmirli Ahmet Ali (English: Ahmet Ali from Izmir) 1883 - 1969, was an Ottoman-born Turkish Aviator regarded as the first black pilot in history. He was one of the first black males to become a fighter pilot, receiving his "wings" in 1914. He was one of the few black pilots in world war 1. Ali's maternal grandmother was born in Bornu (now Nigeria), and was brought to what is now Turkey as part of the Ottoman slave trade.
When I first visited Turkey, I asked our guide about Afro-Turks but he told me there none. He has never heard of them. The book guides said they came from Somalia and Ethiopia. But I did some research and learned most Afro-Turks are from East Africa around Tanzania.
Yeah its normal for Turkish people to have never heard, when I was in Turkey before I met the Afro Turks I would ask locals in Istanbul. Some say they never heard others would say they heard rumors of them in Izmir.
@@Paintyourlifestyle We stayed at a small bed and breakfast in Selcuk. This was before I read about Afro-Turks I think but I could see our tanned host has something African. I knew he had some mix while the wife was a regular Turk. Interesting how I learned how Selculk is not far from Izmir where the Afro-Turks are.
Yes some Afro Turks origins are from East Africa, at the time east Africa was ruled by a Turkish pasha but also many immigrated to Turkey on trade ships, infact my friends brother left on a fishing vessel and trade ship and to this day he's in his 60's and lives in Turkey settled there had kids, grand kids
We grew up knowing them as Turks in Turkey,if they wanna call themselves Afro-Turk but to us they are Brothers,sisters,aunts,uncles,neighbors and friends.I hope this will not be turned into a race issue becouse for us it never was.
I was very moved by their stories, I felt close to them, the women are naturally beautiful. I was glad to hear how they were coming together to connect to their roots, we are everywhere, so we should set up organization to connect to our families around the world. Keep up the good work, you are not a lone. Peace
'they' who does not people to see - that phrase is always curious and odd. - You should look up the African-Georgians who settled in the east coastal are of Georgia ( Sakaratvelo - not the US state ) - not melted into the genetics of the area and some migrated, it was a very small community that was integrated to local customs. People were not sure or are not sure the origin, this was I think the 1700 / 1800s. Probably came from Turkey maybe.
My father-in-law's grandfather, who my husband is named after, is Afro-Turkish and we are also from Izmir. You're right about the color tone. From the outside, our daughter has fair skin tone and platinum blonde hair, but it's great to know that she has some of our great-great grandfather's genes. My daughter's skin does not turn red like me in the summer, on the contrary, it tans and can tolerate the sun. Thanks to her great-great grandfather. But I didn't know the organization. I want to stop by there with my daughter. I want her to know her roots. Thank you for this information. There is discrimination in Turkey regarding religious views, sexual orientation, gender and nationalities, but there is no or very little discrimination due to someone's skin color. I can't understand discrimination because of skin tone. I can't understand any other discrimination anyway. Because I wasn't raised that way. Afro-Turks are just people with darker skin to us, and I was very happy and excited when I saw them. If we were to say black people in Turkey, we would most often call them chocolate colored. We say it not as an insult but as a compliment because they are people as sweet as chocolate. Thanks for the video ❤.
I just shambled across this video and clicked right away. I must confesses that I never new of Afro-Turks. Thanks for sharing this video and a job well done to you.
Awesome video brother. I am a Canadian citizen born to both turkish parents and I have never heard of this. Next time I go back to Izmir I will visit them :)
I’m Nigerian and I live in Moscow, Russia, I have visited Turkey twice and I can tell you they are the very nicest,loving, caring people i have ever met, and my fellow dormitory mates in Russia were Turks, that was the time i first felt their kindness and we are still good friends till date. The don’t look are you different, i have been to many European countries so i can tell
Thank you for this video, it was very informative, I was in Izmir a few months ago, and I didn't know about the Afro-Turks until a week after my trip. I plan to return to Izmir with a group of pan-Africanists from the UK.
Glad it was insight for you and i'm glad you found me! Your return to Izmir should be that more interesting now that you know of this group of people exist. Hope to see you on the next video, and safe travels!
Please Not because you Don‘t Want but you ll import rassicim Into The Country and into The mind of all the Turkish people - it s like the word - black - siyahi.
As a white Turk from Izmir, I can say even our “nationalists” love Afro Turks. The most right wing Turks don’t see colour, there’s even a saying amongst Turkish nationalists “Send home the Syrians, send us the Africans” as we feel an empathy with the peoples of Africa as well as admire their warmth. Izmirs culture is laid back, warm, friendly, communal, forward thinking and full of life. That’s why Afro Turks have settled here, they fit in to our society perfectly as well as contribute massively to all the above. My nurse in preschool was an Afro Turk and probably the first black lady I’d ever seen. I will never forget the sunlike warmth of her smile and how in awe I was.
@@sharonchambers664 im glad :) We stare a lot as a people as we wanna know and learn about everything, but it could very well be that Turkish men find you attractive too. Idk what it is, think it’s the general warmth and openness of both our people but we tend to find black ladies very attractive here
Love this Video, but lets keep in mind that there is not a white or black skin complexion, there are just all kind of colour shades from the lightest to the darkest and their race is called human and not black or white! Lets not forget that and lose ourselves in race and colour discussions when there are literally all kind of shades. Im from Turkey and cause of its world empire history and expansion we have all kind of skin complexions and hair or eye feature types even in my family and we appreciate that.
Peace! @Sport Ace yes you are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, too many people do not see things the way you do. Then we have to navigate in the world as it is,while struggling to make it the way it should be, the struggle continues but we are in it to win it! Insha'Allah!
Yes this is my last video of turkey, it’s really challenging to cram 10 minutes of information into TH-cam, my average audience only watches 3 minutes of whatever I post so it’s okay with what I have now
Thank you so much for the video. I would love to meet with the people from the Afro-turcs community one day when I visit Turkiye. I would gladly do her hair. They are beautiful.
As an African American It's refreshing to see Turks of African descent use the term Afro-Turk instead of "Black Turk". It's too bad many African Americans like to use the term "Black American".
i never met afro turks but i know in history there was zenci musa who was part of teskilati mahsusa and right hand man of legendary agent kuscubasi esref. these people are national heroes
I love how u managed to go meet them and document them ❤️❤️❤️❤️ n omg they look soo cuteee with their curls in the head scarf and their hair done that wayy. I really wish i could hv been thereeee 🥲
Thank you so much for this program. Means a lot to many many African diasporas who lives four corners of the world to be acknowledged .. bravo, bravo bravo, to African-American for their effort bringing 2.5 billion blacks together. The time has come for black people to claim their identity and home blend Africa
I was informed about Afro-Turks by my Turkish dormates. They said that Afro-Turks have been present for 700 years. I think the Turk were the first place to end chattel slavery. There is much to learn about this piece of mankind.
Watch all my Turkey Vlogs here - th-cam.com/video/uiRNE95stHQ/w-d-xo.html
That recent comment above saying it’s not Afro Turk “ seems to be negative .. as the translation really is more like a rambled comment with words that maybe taken derogatorily
you told nothing right.
Maybe you need to study more !
Not necessarily from a European perspective . Dig deep into the history of the Turks and you will see that the Turks were of dark Olive complexion , the lighter skin Turks ( Turkish ) people are Hybrids , mulattos , Eurasians people , the Arabians has been mixed as well , the lighter Arabians has faded out ( through amalgamation ) replace the dark Olive complexed people , the Original inhabitants . Those other Arabians are not organic .
They too are Eurasians .
The Beast has spreaded its seeds amongst the Asiatic Race , and have contaminated through amalgamation ( the mixing between the Asiatic race with the Pale skin Europeans . this is why they are so light . The Moors Amalgamated with the Pale skin Europeans in the West , while the dark Arabs Amalgamated with pale skin race in the East . This is why Northern Africa has a very light population because of the mixing of The two Races , Asiatics and Europeans .
That’s my friend ❤ Benim kardeşim ♥️
Turkey is no longer welcoming Africans, Arabs, Afghans, Bengalis and Pakistanis in Turkey.
We have world first black pilot Im proud with that🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
Really !? Awesome !! I am gonna Google it & read it & study some more about that later !! That's very very fascinating ,indeed !! Fabulous !! 👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️💕💞
@spark_6710 Ahmet Ali Çelikten, just check this name from google as proof.
@@spark_6710 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmet_Ali_%C3%87elikten
@@spark_6710Ahmet ali was his name, highly respected and if you ate in the Airforce of Turkey you will see his name/picture statues left n right
@@BozkurT187 Very cool !! Awesome ! Thank you so much for the info & your reply !! 👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️💞
I am Turkish (white) and living in US last 47 years,I am glad to see they are happy in Turkiye,I wish best of everything to my Afro-Turk brothers and sisters.
where do you live if you dont mind me to ask.
yes, Turkish people are lovely people. here in Burundi i once met a turkish attending in a wedding ceremony, and he was so excited to descover our culture.Salutations from Burundi, the Heart of Africa.
I am glad to hear that.
I'm originally from Izmir, there are so many Afro Turks in this region whom have been here for generations, Türkiye has a multitude of diversity from countries all over the world..
Then why do the rest of Turkey act shocked when they see a Black person? Do they not know that Black people have been in Turkey for generations ?
Thank you so much for sharing. As an African American I want to visit a country that is welcoming Turkey is on my list to visit because I’ve heard the people are incredibly nicest and most respectful people in the world. Thanks again I have now decided where I want to visit when I come to Turkey; Istanbul
Izmir and Ankara!
@@AGrace-ff3cu My pleasure, hoping a wonderful flight and a memorable time in Turkiye..
Turkey people are so loving and caring that's what I love about them
I wish we all were haha
@@kasadam85 yeah hey🙏🙏
Citizens of the Ottoman Empire - Turks of African descent were great soldiers that fought for Osmanlı padişahları
many of them were stationed as governers in Egypt, Crete, Greece, and Turkey.
These area were once black but white washing too place Italy,Greece,Turkey,Egypt and currently the rest of Northern Africa is going through the same test Arabia peninsula is currently done but all were luo people currently the diminishing ethnic group of black euroasia and Africa.
@@ayoliacoli5692wtf😮😂😂
@@ayoliacoli5692 please stop claiming everywhere. It doesnt matter. fact of matter is TURKish has an empire once upon a time that ruled alot of land. and within this land people migrated the Black Turks. They are not indigenious to the land
While watching this video, a memory of the American historian Heath W. Lowry came to my mind.
Lowry came to a small village in Balıkesir, Turkey in the late 1950s to study Turkish history and learn Turkish.
His goal was to stay in the village for a year and learn Turkish.
The villagers and the village chief only listened to the radio back then.
One day they ask Lowry about the events in America and what a Negro is. Lowry cannot explain exactly what it is.
Months later, he and the chief go to the center of the town.
Then they sit in a coffeehouse and have a drink when a black man comes in, says hello in Turkish and sits down.
Lowry turns to the chief and says 'look, that man is a black man'.
The chief doesn't understand and says 'no, that's Mehmet Aga, he's not black, he's our next villager'.
Lowry says 'no, look, he is black in color'.
Finally the chief understands and says, 'well, if his color is black, why are you excluding them?
You can see a similar incident in the memoirs of former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. When he went to America in the 1940s as a young journalist, he was surprised to see the racism against blacks.
You can also see many Afro Turks in Anadoluhisarı, Istanbul.
I am from Turkey and so happy to see this. We should be proud and celebrate it!
Thank you for this video ❤️ I did one of my final papers on the Afro-Turkish community and am hoping to meet with the community in İzmir when I visit again. ✨
Hey no problem 😌 and thanks for watching! Whenever you return just shoot them an email, they are easy to talk to and willing to connect
ZENCITURKLERI BU TANIMDIR KUFUR DEYIL BIZLERI BATIYLA KARISTIRMAYIN ZENCITURKLER
@TMY are you doing your masters in anthropology?
@@Amatullah78 Hi! No, i completed my MA in History :) however, one of the Phd. programs I am applying for is in Social Anthropology
@@everythingtmy That's awesome. I wish you success sis. I'll be subscribing to your channel and following your journey.
Wow, this is just a very well done video. The Afro-Turk community is not something widely known across Türkiye so this content is both informative and helpful. Thank you for this.
This is very educative. I am from Africa and I love Turkish people and Afro Turks. I braids all kinds of African hair.
Glad this video brought you some insight ! Hope to see you on the next video.
@@Paintyourlifestyle yes
Thank you for this video. There are so many groups of African descendants living across that world that are not yet known by many so videos like this are the only way for us to get to know our brothers and sisters across the seas. 🙏🏾
There is also a black population in Iran also .
I know this may be hard to take in for some individuals but Africans used to travel, they sailed the seas (first ever migration- 3 groups.. a. Settled in Madagascar.. b. Settled in Asian Island Filipinos Malaysia moving further up and c. The strongest of the group settled in what we call Australia. Growing into what we know as aboriginal) the first great migration known to man with evidence and comparisons can be found in details online journals, credited university, it should even take reading extensive literature but even today with digital visual, we can see and hear interviews of Afro Asian. Afro American telling stories with close similaries of the ‘genesis’ as told to them by their ancestors.
@@missqt48 Yep they settled in my island and Madagascar. I'm from The Comoros Islands which are small islands located next to Madagascar. Proud African islander.
@missqt48 I don't know about " genesis" part ,but I do agree with you on others ! I mean ,I can see Japanese ( I am Japanese live in the States )from south have the features similar to black people & their skins are much darker than regular Japanese. You can see them if you watch Japanese high school baseball championship games !! We ,Japanese used to believe & very proud ( silly !! ) of being " pure bred " !! Lol We recently discovered we've got Filipino, Mongolian, Russian & Portguise blood in us !!! Lol not to mention,Chinese & Korean ,off course ! 👍💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
My husband and I have recently purchased a village house in Tire , Izmir..a small town that have a population of Afro Turks.. I have also had the honour and pleasure of meeting Beyhan and Mr Shakir .. truly beautiful and humble people..they had invited me to a village wedding.. that's when I realized there's a thriving and close knitted AfroTurk community consisting of young and old..and very much resemble black people of the diaspora..(I actually saw a look alike of my daughter).. I look forward to getting to know and becoming friends with them...
Hit me up. I know them as well. Not in Tire but other parts of the Aegean. Good peoples!
@@mbotentoto5162 Are you in Turkey?
@@janellodge985 Izmir, been to Aydin, Tire tho.
@@janellodge985 hey, do you live in Tire right now? Im living in Tire thats why asking
@@bakiozturk2112 yes, I am
Amazing! Just when i was planning on visiting Turkey and i find this ❤❤ Thank you . Kenya 🇰🇪 loves you
You're welcome 😊
You,are welcome-
My husband is Afroturk (1/16) his grandmother was half Turkish and half African. He is also from Izmir. ☺️
Enjoy his background and ancestry.
Be proud of his blackness.
Neyin kafası bu .Nezaman Türkiye’de ten rengi göze batan bir ayırtmacılık olduğu. Benimde kuzenlerim afro Türk anne ve baba tarafında ve üztelik kivremiz afro türk. Neyin havası bu ?
@@dilekekiz3324içip mi yazdin bunu
İçip de yazsaydım İngilizce yazardım 🤣 @@zeragingcookie
What about euro turks?
Same in Iran, lots of "Afro-Iranians", mainly living in the South of Iran. My uncle is "Afro-Iranian", though I wouldn't call him or anyone "Afro-Iranian", just Iranian will do.
Right name is luo people
We do not call them Afro-Turks either, this is a new thing and I think it is related to the association mentioned in the video. There is a lot of African descent in my family.
But I don't think there is any harm in defining themselves that way if they want to. After all, some people may not want to break away from their roots.
In my opinion, they should remain as they are with their colors and culture rather than melting into society. It would be nice if there was a community in Turkey that still maintains African culture, but unfortunately, people who move away from their land also move away from their culture.
I've watched a lot of videos of the Afro Turks. Initially, I too didn't know their story and existence until I saw a segment on TH-cam. I can confidently say that if I closed my eyes, then it would be like listening to your average Turkish uncle or auntie.
There was a particular clip of a village women saying that they would call her "Arap" and tell her to "go back home". She rightfully stated that she was born and raised in Turkey and she wouldn't know of those lands and the daily happenings.
I might be saying controversial here but the "Turk" moniker in Turkey is nothing more than a nationality status. We are a people who's ancestors were travelers. We have a history of assimilation. The Turks didn't give much credence to a notion of racial purity. You can run a DNA test on 100 Turks and each one would have different admixtures.
Saying that your are a "Turk" because you look a particular way is just silly.
I'll add that we weren't averse to Afro Turks. We knew of Esmeray and Defne Joy foster and their deaths were a great pain for the Turkish populace.
The sheer amount of Afro Turks being tucked in small communities and the history of why they were bought here would be more surprising.
Moreover: Every nation is exactly like that.
All mixed..
They just chose to ignore it. Creation myths are more attractive than proper anthropology.
Afro turks are very beautiful ❤️, I really appreciate their culture and heritage. May they continue to exhibit it.
You should also search Ahmet Ali Çelikten. He was probably the first black pilot in history. You might find his life interesting.
Will search for him but my dad was black and a pilot since 1972 with a fokker friendship that was also known at Entebbe Airport
@@ritassali1360 he was a fighter pilot in ww1
Love the video. Hate the title. I've always known about AfroTurks. Knew a few grewing up. Can't believe you didn't reference Ahmet Ali çelikten, first black fighter pilot. Or Esmeray, afro-turkish actress. Or Mansur, afro-turkish singer.
"THEY don't want you to see" like there's some type of conspiracy going on.
How would you name the title of this video?
@@Paintyourlifestyle Afro-Turks. The Turkey you should see.
@@Paintyourlifestyle am African myself but I have known about the afro Turks for a long time and I have seen many Turkish people who definitely look mixed and I can tell they have African ancestry in them infant most Turkish people look mixed with either African or Arabic and some with European and very few with Asian so I don't think putting that title is really good because there not really Hidden it's just that most of them now don't look dark skinned and they don't call themselves afro Turks
Cenk-Melis Sökmen, BBG Ali
Did you reach out to these people and they accepted your interview requests? I am ecstatic about what you did. I am in disbelief that you turned this into a reality. You flew all that way to Turkey? Knowing nothing about it. Expecting..what did you expect? And how did this happen? Unbelievable. I envy you. I applaud you
Yes I reached out! It was a little bit of emailing back and forth but we were able to set up a date and time to meet! Lucky for me I was already in Turkey when I flew to Izmir. I traveled from Istanbul so it was a little inexpensive. I did some research about them know what questions I wanted to ask and let the rest flow. What you saw now is the end result of my interview with them.
Why were you in disbelief? I find it odd that you think it wouldn't happen.
I enjoyed this Video, it’s not about being surprised that there are Afro Turks living in areas of Turkey,for thousands of years there have been people of all races living in this region even before “Turkey “ as a nation existed, I love the Turkish Culture, it is beautiful, and I find beauty in every Culture that is on the Planet!❤
Thank you for sharing this with the world.
The first lady sounds like a Turkish person speaking english :) It's interesting to see. I had no idea Afro Turks where there. I've been to turkey before and I unfortunately only saw one black person. It's a beautiful country and they have the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.
I thought that too, I've seen Africans migrating to turkey for better opportunities but Africans born and raised in Turkey is something new for me, they are all in Izmir
AFROTURK BIZIM TURKCEMIZ DEYILDIR BU SOZCUYU BATILIASIKARLARI 20 SENE EVEL SOKTULAR BIZ ZENCITURKLER DERIZ ARAPTURKLERI DERIZ BIZ BALKANTURKLERI DERIZ BIZ ASYA TURKLERI DERIZ BIZ AFRIKA KITASINDAKI LERINE ZENCITURK DERIZ BIZLERDE KUCUMSEME BIRISINI ASAGILAMA ITAP YOKTUR AFROTURK DIYE BIZLERDE YOKTUR OLMUYAN SOZCUYU NIYE ZORLA TURKCEMIZI KIRLETIYORSUNUZ BUNADA KIMSENI HAKI YOKTUR
That’s what she is 😊😅
I am amazed to know that so many Turks have African origin.
Yet in the media they are hardly shown and exposed out there.
The entire Globe need to know about this community as of 2023.
Thank you for this video. I am an American black who lived in Izmir in the '80s and '90s. Best experiences of my many life travels abroad. Merhaba to my friends Pam, Sam, and Gungar! ❤
Great video. Beautiful people. Thank you for sharing this. African brothers and sisters all over the world. 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
with pleasure!
hi from turkey ım living in izmir and thank u for this video we love each other❤
Our pleasure!
Wow! I am glad I gave across this video. I feel like whenever we, as Black people, travel we always have to gauge whether a place is wholly racist, a little racist, or not racist at all. It's sad the world is shaped this way. I would love to experience Izmir. The Afro-Turk people remind me of us, African Americans, who have been separated from our original cultures, (traditions and language), and are anxious to reconnect some kind of way. Thanks for sharing this.
Indeed lovely piece . I’m in Tire and have been 3 months during which time I have been going around the touristic areas hoping to see . Recently returning from a bazar , one Afro Turk and her son and I approached each other . The smiles were exchanged even 5 feet apart . Imagine brief but impactful . I could see the welcome surprise in both their eyes and faces , I was struck by her son’s smile and light of excitement in his eyes . My Caribbean friends living here have already made friends with Ms Bayhan .. there was a wedding in the area recently . Apparently the inter marriages happen much and so not all Afro Turks are darker skinned . I’m hoping on next trip to be more engaged, especially in Education
AFROTURK DEYIL ZENCITURKLER DIYE ASIRLAR BU NUNLA TANILIR BU BIR KUFUR DEYILDIR GUZEL SOCUKLERIMIZI PIS BATILASTIRMAYIN LUTFEN
This is so cool 😎
I'm sitting in the airport (ASR-Kayseri) watching this and wishing I could add a couple more days to my trip. I'd love to meet these ladies.
Ahhh appreciate you watching during your trip! There is always next time, they are located in Izmir they aren't going anywhere anytime soon
Very informative video. Just goes to show how Africans are all over the world (pretty much). Afro Turks appear to be very integrated into their local communities. Just heard of their existence today and had to look them up.
Thank you for posting this video. I think it's beautiful that the afro turks are embracing their african roots.
Our pleasure!
Thank you for this beautiful documentation.
I am a grown man,...I did know of Afro turks until today 2022 and the connection with Ghana 🇬🇭, Nigeria 🇳🇬...
YES! This is my goal, this is the power of social media and youtube of course bringing insight to the voiceless, I am really happy you found this channel and this Documentary. These people are looking for their true roots and it does tie to Ghana and Nigeria, Hope to see you on the next video.
But afroturkish are from east Africa
Amazing! I would love more info about the afro-Abkhazians as well. If you have never been to Georgia, you'll be overwhelmed with beauty. The Abkahazia region may or may not be open to certain passport holders especially considering the war. I think it would be amazing thing to look into!
You know I was suppose to go to Georgia but I had head home for Christmas, I heard a lot of good things about that country
@@Paintyourlifestyle Don't miss it. The culture is fascinating and I guarantee not what you would expect. You could spend forever researching the history, cultures and languages in the Caucasus region.
AFROTURK DEYIL BIZLERDE ZENCITURK DENIR NEREDEN CIKTI AFROTURKLERI 20 SENE EVEL BU LAFI SOKTULAR BIZIM ZENCITURK VATANDASLARIMIZA COK YAZIK
I am actually Abkhazian from Turkey. My ancestors from both sides came to Turkey around 1880. We still have relatives there and my sister visited them 7 years ago but I have never been there. I was told it’s beautiful there. There is a big Abkhazian community in Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
@@Paintyourlifestyle Afro-Abkhazians???????? what?
Afro Turkish Cypriots too. Both my mums parents were mixed race & Turkish Cypriot
Never knew about African - Turkish communities in Crete.
@@cocoaorange1 Because it's Cyprus, not Crete.
Ahmet Ali Çelikten aka İzmirli Ahmet Ali (English: Ahmet Ali from Izmir) 1883 - 1969, was an Ottoman-born Turkish Aviator regarded as the first black pilot in history.
He was one of the first black males to become a fighter pilot, receiving his "wings" in 1914. He was one of the few black pilots in world war 1. Ali's maternal grandmother was born in Bornu (now Nigeria), and was brought to what is now Turkey as part of the Ottoman slave trade.
spread the culture spread the love, spread the joy , WE ARE ONE
Cok mutlu oldum. Amcagin elinden opmek geldi icimden. ❤
When I first visited Turkey, I asked our guide about Afro-Turks but he told me there none. He has never heard of them. The book guides said they came from Somalia and Ethiopia. But I did some research and learned most Afro-Turks are from East Africa around Tanzania.
Yeah its normal for Turkish people to have never heard, when I was in Turkey before I met the Afro Turks I would ask locals in Istanbul. Some say they never heard others would say they heard rumors of them in Izmir.
@@Paintyourlifestyle We stayed at a small bed and breakfast in Selcuk. This was before I read about Afro-Turks I think but I could see our tanned host has something African. I knew he had some mix while the wife was a regular Turk.
Interesting how I learned how Selculk is not far from Izmir where the Afro-Turks are.
@@lologege5466 haha you have limited knowledge on world populations.
Yes some Afro Turks origins are from East Africa, at the time east Africa was ruled by a Turkish pasha but also many immigrated to Turkey on trade ships, infact my friends brother left on a fishing vessel and trade ship and to this day he's in his 60's and lives in Turkey settled there had kids, grand kids
They re not from somalia or ethiopia. That's all made up nonsense.
We grew up knowing them as Turks in Turkey,if they wanna call themselves Afro-Turk but to us they are Brothers,sisters,aunts,uncles,neighbors and friends.I hope this will not be turned into a race issue becouse for us it never was.
I was very moved by their stories, I felt close to them, the women are naturally beautiful. I was glad to hear how they were coming together to connect to their roots, we are everywhere, so we should set up organization to connect to our families around the world. Keep up the good work, you are not a lone. Peace
Very interesting. Your video editing skills are impressive. Very interesting documentary. Take care of yourself, brother.
Thanks so much ! Thanks for the compliment, I tried to make this video easy for people to consume
This content is beautiful, I am now subscribing to your channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and their knowledge with us.💜🦋💜
hey no problem, thanks for watching, hope to see you on the next video.
'they' who does not people to see - that phrase is always curious and odd. - You should look up the African-Georgians who settled in the east coastal are of Georgia ( Sakaratvelo - not the US state ) - not melted into the genetics of the area and some migrated, it was a very small community that was integrated to local customs. People were not sure or are not sure the origin, this was I think the 1700 / 1800s. Probably came from Turkey maybe.
Why are you calling them "african" georgians if you dont know their origins?
We are all Turkish. Thanks for this video
What beautiful people you are, our pure-hearted Turks of Africa, we love you.
My father-in-law's grandfather, who my husband is named after, is Afro-Turkish and we are also from Izmir. You're right about the color tone. From the outside, our daughter has fair skin tone and platinum blonde hair, but it's great to know that she has some of our great-great grandfather's genes. My daughter's skin does not turn red like me in the summer, on the contrary, it tans and can tolerate the sun. Thanks to her great-great grandfather. But I didn't know the organization. I want to stop by there with my daughter. I want her to know her roots. Thank you for this information. There is discrimination in Turkey regarding religious views, sexual orientation, gender and nationalities, but there is no or very little discrimination due to someone's skin color. I can't understand discrimination because of skin tone. I can't understand any other discrimination anyway. Because I wasn't raised that way. Afro-Turks are just people with darker skin to us, and I was very happy and excited when I saw them. If we were to say black people in Turkey, we would most often call them chocolate colored. We say it not as an insult but as a compliment because they are people as sweet as chocolate. Thanks for the video ❤.
Onlar bizim canlarımız ve bir parçamız ❤
Thank you very much for the Video 👍🏻🙏🏻
No problem, Hope to see you on the next video!
I just shambled across this video and clicked right away. I must confesses that I never new of Afro-Turks. Thanks for sharing this video and a job well done to you.
I meant to say stumbled across lol 😂
you're good haha, thanks for watching! Hope to see you on the next story
Awesome video brother. I am a Canadian citizen born to both turkish parents and I have never heard of this. Next time I go back to Izmir I will visit them :)
thank you!
Will connect to some with our jamaican turkish family
I’m Nigerian and I live in Moscow, Russia, I have visited Turkey twice and I can tell you they are the very nicest,loving, caring people i have ever met, and my fellow dormitory mates in Russia were Turks, that was the time i first felt their kindness and we are still good friends till date. The don’t look are you different, i have been to many European countries so i can tell
Thank you for this video, it was very informative, I was in Izmir a few months ago, and I didn't know about the Afro-Turks until a week after my trip. I plan to return to Izmir with a group of pan-Africanists from the UK.
Glad it was insight for you and i'm glad you found me! Your return to Izmir should be that more interesting now that you know of this group of people exist. Hope to see you on the next video, and safe travels!
Please Not because you Don‘t Want but you ll import rassicim Into The Country and into The mind of all the Turkish people - it s like the word - black - siyahi.
Thank you for your work!
Beautiful video, and thanks so much for sharing ❤
Thanks for watching!
@@Paintyourlifestyle you're most welcome 😊
I have never seen a Afro Turk in my life, to me the concept is no different than Portuguese Inuits...
Internesting. Never knew that the Afro Turks in Izmir came from Crete and that they were part of the population exchange between Turkey and Greece.
Thank you for video !
Bro i watch u from Canada !
No problem! Thank you for watching!
Just subscribed to your channel ! 💕
Thanks for subbing!
@Paintyourlifestyle You're very very welcome !! 👍
As a white Turk from Izmir, I can say even our “nationalists” love Afro Turks. The most right wing Turks don’t see colour, there’s even a saying amongst Turkish nationalists “Send home the Syrians, send us the Africans” as we feel an empathy with the peoples of Africa as well as admire their warmth.
Izmirs culture is laid back, warm, friendly, communal, forward thinking and full of life. That’s why Afro Turks have settled here, they fit in to our society perfectly as well as contribute massively to all the above.
My nurse in preschool was an Afro Turk and probably the first black lady I’d ever seen. I will never forget the sunlike warmth of her smile and how in awe I was.
My experience in Izmir have been warm , indeed . I feel people look out of curiosity not out of mischief . ♥️🤲🏽
@@sharonchambers664 im glad :) We stare a lot as a people as we wanna know and learn about everything, but it could very well be that Turkish men find you attractive too. Idk what it is, think it’s the general warmth and openness of both our people but we tend to find black ladies very attractive here
@@Mertbabasisert indeed that might be a factor 😎
@@Mertbabasisert I heard that about looking @ black women..
Turks are not white
Love this Video, but lets keep in mind that there is not a white or black skin complexion, there are just all kind of colour shades from the lightest to the darkest and their race is called human and not black or white!
Lets not forget that and lose ourselves in race and colour discussions when there are literally all kind of shades.
Im from Turkey and cause of its world empire history and expansion we have all kind of skin complexions and hair or eye feature types even in my family and we appreciate that.
Beautiful
Peace! @Sport Ace yes you are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, too many people do not see things the way you do. Then we have to navigate in the world as it is,while struggling to make it the way it should be, the struggle continues but we are in it to win it! Insha'Allah!
They are Africans in Saudi Arabia and iraq too
I live in Karaman and I would like to see these guys.
This your last video about Afrotuks is emotional. I wished you can elaborate more about them. Do they eat fufu like your roots?
Yes this is my last video of turkey, it’s really challenging to cram 10 minutes of information into TH-cam, my average audience only watches 3 minutes of whatever I post so it’s okay with what I have now
Why would they eat a gulf of west african dish if they are allegedly east africans?
THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT INFORMATION;
Glad it was helpful!
bro I subscribed after 38 seconds. Great way to build intreset! Boyle devam kardes!!
Thanks for the sub!!!
Such a nice and cool video😊👍🌸
Thank you for watching! 🙏🏽
Excellent content here bro. Really learned a lot here. You got yourself a new subscriber. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks so much for joining the community
Yes, they are cheerful and good people. As people of the region, some of my relatives are Afro-Turkish.
Beautiful!!! Thank goodness for youtube or we’d be left in the dark ages!
No worries! Thanks so much for watching! See you on the next story from around the world 🌍
Most appreciative... informative.....an important record of the Black Heritage and Diaspora!!!
thank you! and thank you for watching!
Thank you so much for the video. I would love to meet with the people from the Afro-turcs community one day when I visit Turkiye. I would gladly do her hair. They are beautiful.
Their information is in description 🙌🏾 thanks so much for watching, see you on the next story from around the world
U doing great job my brother
Thank you for the interesting and informative video. My question has been answered yes there are Afro Turks in Turkey and they are beautiful people.
As an African American It's refreshing to see Turks of African descent use the term Afro-Turk instead of "Black Turk". It's too bad many African Americans like to use the term "Black American".
My dear brother I am Palestinian and we have Afro Palestinians
Wow you guys have such a community there in the country too? Maybe I should pay a visit? Haha
@@Paintyourlifestyle yes the Afro Palestinian have a beautiful story interesting history . Their presence before borders at Rafahhh..
Yep I know this . There are Afro’s pretty much everywhere lol .. israel, Greece , Mexico ( even though they tried to erase their part in slave trade)
Really wow greetings to them
@@Paintyourlifestyle ...there are black people in Sri Lanka, India, Phillipines, Iran, Iraq etc...black people are almost everywhere!
Absolutely beautiful to see the diaspora soo present and strong! Thanks for this video!
My pleasure!
Love this 🥰🥰
thanks :] and thank you for watching this story unfold
Great reminder that we really are just about everywhere!
i never met afro turks but i know in history there was zenci musa who was part of teskilati mahsusa and right hand man of legendary agent kuscubasi esref. these people are national heroes
Beautiful People..💓God 💓😇🙏 ..Bless Them !!
The first time i heard about Afro Turk.... Real nice history
thanks for watching!
Happy to know there is an African community in Turkey
Thanks for video
Most welcome, and thanks for watching !
There are so many Afro-Turkish celebrities in Turkey
Wow!!
THANK YOU BRO...
You're welcome!
I love how u managed to go meet them and document them ❤️❤️❤️❤️ n omg they look soo cuteee with their curls in the head scarf and their hair done that wayy. I really wish i could hv been thereeee 🥲
I thank God for giving me the strength to travel to Izmir from Bodrum, mind you I was at the end of my travels in turkey, I was so drained 😮💨
@@Paintyourlifestyle i knowww I absolutely remember
AMAZING 💯💯
thanks for watching
They are beautiful women! I will love to meet them .
merci ,tessukler , thank you , gracias, danke,,,,,,im truly so grateful to you
If you are obsessed with Afro go to Saudi Arabia There are more than % 15 percent of the citizen population with black skin.
Nobody has black skin
@@SisterSarayah Where do you mean?
Thank you so much for this program. Means a lot to many many African diasporas who lives four corners of the world to be acknowledged .. bravo, bravo bravo, to African-American for their effort bringing 2.5 billion blacks together. The time has come for black people to claim their identity and home blend Africa
I was informed about Afro-Turks by my Turkish dormates. They said that Afro-Turks have been present for 700 years. I think the Turk were the first place to end chattel slavery. There is much to learn about this piece of mankind.
AfroTurks are mostly descended from Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and the Sahel Countries of course
Epic storytelling
thanks so much for watching
great video
Thanks so much for watching