AFRICAN CULTURE HOUSE: WOMEN’S LABOR, CULTURE, AND DIPLOMACY

We spoke with Zeliha Sağlam, Chairperson of the Board of Direc tors of the African Culture House , about the institution’s founding vision, success stories, and its role in Türkiye-Africa relations.

COULD YOU SHARE WITH US THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TÜRKIYE’S VISION FOR AFRICA, THE LOCAL DYNAMICS ON THE GROUND, AND THE HUMAN STORIES DURING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AFRICAN CULTURE HOUSE, AND HOW THESE THREE ELEMENTS ARE CONNECTED?

The emergence of the African Culture House is one of the most humane examples of the Africa Initiative vision announced by our President in 2005. This vision encompasses a multidimensional process ranging from diplomatic relations to economic partner ships, cultural exchange to development. What sets the African Culture House apart is that this vision has been realized through women’s labor, cultural heritage, and human contact.

The sincere connections established by Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, the wife of our President, with women who earn their living through manual labor, which are productive yet invisible, during her travels in Africa, have been the inspiration for this initiative. Mrs. Erdoğan’s observations indicate that Africa’s rich handicrafts are not only a form of cultural expression but also a struggle for dignity, preserva tion of identity, and economic freedom. These human stories have added a warm and personal touch to Türkiye’s vision for Africa.

The African Culture House, which brings together diplomatic circles, academia, civil society, and the business world in Türkiye under one roof, has become a cultural diplomacy platform by combining Africa’s local dynamics with Türkiye’s multidimensional approach to diplomacy.

Through handicraft workshops, educational programs, exhibitions, and academic collaborations, it provides economic value to local African producers while strengthening intercultural dialogue. The story of the African House shows the world that culture, women’s labor, and solidarity can form a common language.

WHAT WERE YOUR DIPLOMATIC OBJECTIVES WHEN LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THIS STRUCTURE, AND WHAT HAVE YOU ACHIEVED IN RELATION TO THESE OBJECTIVES TO DATE?
The diplomatic objectives set during the establishment phase of the African Culture House were primarily as follows:

-Strengthening people-to-people ties with African countries,
-Supporting women’s labor by making it visible and gaining economic value,
-Protecting cultural heritage and encouraging mutual learning processes,
-Developing civil diplomacy mechanisms based on culture, art, and education n —-  –Building a positive narrative based on shared identity between Türkiye and African countries.

In line with these objectives, the African Culture House has produced many valuable outcomes in the regions to date in cooperation with TIKA. Projects that strength en local capacity, particularly in Senegal and Tanzania, have been implemented through women’s labor-based production workshops and training centers.

Exhibitions, panels, gastronomy events, and culture weeks organized in Türkiye have brought Africa’s cultural diversity to a wide audience. Furthermore, collaborations and meetings with regional and international organiza tions such as the African Union, OAFLAD, and the Na tional Heritage Council (South Africa) have strengthened the institutional dimension of cultural diplomacy.

In the academic sphere, the African Studies Specialization Program supports knowledge production and intellectual exchange through seminars and workshops.

In this context, the African Culture House presents a model that achieves its diplomatic goals not only at a representative level, but also through human contact and joint production in the field. Today, this structure is considered a unique example of Türkiye’s vision for Africa, based on women’s labor, cultural diplomacy, and joint development.

HOW DOES THE AFRICAN HOUSE CREATE AN IMPACT IN THE FIELDS OF BUSINESS, CULTURE, AND SOCIAL DIPLOMACY ACROSS THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, AND HOW DOES IT CONTINUE TO PLAY A MEDIATING AND FACILITATING ROLE IN TÜRKIYE-AFRICA RELATIONS?

The African Culture House informs Turkish society about the continent through Africa’s rich handicrafts, gastronomy, music, and oral traditions. By presenting African culture not as some thing foreign, but as an equal and shared cultural heritage, it has developed a people-centered diplomacy model that enhances intercultural empathy and mutual respect.

Projects carried out with TIKA, particularly the handicraft centers in Senegal and Tanzania, contribute to women producers in Africa gaining a more effective position in local economies.

The African Culture House acts as an interface that strengthens the transition area between official diplomacy and civil society through its contacts with the diplomatic missions, business circles, women’s organizations, and cultural institutions of the countries on the continent.

By bridging the gap between Türkiye’s public diplomacy goals and the needs of local initiatives in Africa, it contributes to the establishment of lasting relationships based on mutual trust.

WOULD YOU SHARE WITH US THE SUCCESS STORIES THAT HAVE MOST IMPACTED YOU FROM THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT AND THE ONE-ON-ONE RELATIONSHIPS YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES?

There are many inspiring stories that have influenced me; one of them is the story of Dr. Khadijah Bwanakheri Mohammed, who lives in Tanzania. Dr. Khadijah, one of the pioneers in strength ening women’s participation in economic life in her country, has established a strong cultural bond between the two countries through her collaboration with the African Culture House, which she has known for many years through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), even though she has never been to Türkiye.

Dr. Khadijah is leading the “Mama Jasiri/Brave Mothers” program, one of TIKA’s development projects in Tanzania. The program aims to equip young women with professional skills and entrepreneur ship training to empower them to become confident, productive, and economically independent individuals. Women trained under Dr. Khadijah’s guidance have the opportunity to exhibit the prod ucts they make by hand at the African Culture House, thereby increasing the visibility of Tanzania’s traditional arts in Türkiye.

According to Dr. Khadijah, the handwoven baskets, pottery, wood carvings, Maasai beadwork, leather goods, and colorful kitenge and kanga fabrics in her country are not merely aesthetic products, but cultural symbols that carry the identity and history of the community.

At the African Culture House, many products are on display, ranging from hand-woven baskets to wall decorations and small wooden decorative objects made by mothers participating in the Mama Jasiri program. Each of these products reflects both the traditional skills and creative innovations of the young women in the program.

Dr Khadijah sees the collaboration with the African Culture House as an opportunity to make the voices of Tanzanian women heard around the world. This allows African women to showcase their creativity, culture, and products in Türkiye. Dr Khadijah’s story particularly impressed me; she mentors young women who receive weaving and carpentry training through the Mama Jasiri program, guides their production processes, contributes to their entrepreneurial awareness, and creates opportunities for them to reach wider audiences through platforms such as the African Culture House.

HOW WAS THE RECEPTION FOR THE AFRICA HOUSE AT THE FIFTH TABEF EVENT? COULD WE HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE VISION FOR THE AFRICA HOUSE?

The Fifth Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (TABEF) proved to be an extremely productive platform for the African Culture House in terms of both visibility and impact. The keen interest shown in the African Culture House by government officials, ambassadors, businesspeople, and civil society representatives attending the forum demonstrated that the structure has made significant progress in becoming a cultural actor in Türkiye-Africa relations.

The African Culture House stand attracted the attention of many country delegations as a space where handicrafts based on women’s labor were exhibited and culture met production. The stories behind the products, namely the visibility of African wom en’s labor, resonated with participants both emotionally and intellectually. This demonstrated the successful implementation of a model that strengthens the human dimension of economic diplomacy through cultural diplomacy.

In the coming period, the African Culture House aims to strengthen women producer networks in Africa, increase joint production and brand development projects, multiply academic and creative col laborations centered on cultural diplomacy, and develop lasting, sustainable cultural partnership models in Africa-Türkiye relations.

In this regard, the African Culture House continues to position itself not merely as a structure representing handicrafts on platforms such as TABEF, but as a diplomatic actor that bridges culture, women’s labor, and human development.