Specialists highlight the presence of Turkish culture in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, May 24 (ACN) The presence of Istanbul in Havana is the result of the historical migration that took place at the beginning of the 20th century and has left its mark on aspects such as language, specialists at the University of Havana (UH) today highlighted at the 3rd Day of Turkish Culture.

Maritza Corrales Capestany, a researcher on the Hebrew presence on the island, said in her talk entitled Turks, Syrians and Moors? Jews in the Cuban 20th century, that in the first half of the last century a wave of migration that remained constant until the 1950s was unleashed.
In illustrating Turkish presence in Cuba, she commented that they settled mainly in the vicinity of the Central Highway, as many had their first job as participants in its construction.
Likewise, she declared that since they came from different places and practiced different religions, Cubans - not understanding this heterogeneity - called them Turkish, Syrian and Christian alike.
Dr. Sergio Valdés Bernal, professor at the University of Huelva, recalled the differences between the Turkish and Spanish languages, and explained that some words such as zapato (shoe), sultan and yogurt come from that language.
Other phrases that are deeply rooted in the popular language are "cabeza de turco", which implies using someone as a scapegoat, and "perdio la zapatilla", which is the person who has to go to the bathroom very often, he said.
As part of the day, there were also exhibitions of promotional materials from Turkey, tasting of traditional dishes and an open-ended workshop on Turkish words and phrases.
The activities were promoted by the Chair of History and Culture of Turkey of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana.
This Chair was created in 2011, as a result of the cooperation agreements between the University of Ankara and the University of Havana signed in 2009.