So Yesterday was an eclectic one... I had planned to visit an area on the Asian side of the city called Uskudar with my friend Rosie, so we got the train to Haydarpasa and then when walking towards the port in Kadikoy came across a mass police presence, riot police with shields that looked well prepared for something big happening. We wondered whether it was something to do with a football game or something and stopped to have tea at a cafe near by to wait and see if anything developed.
About ten minutes later people started parading down the street, we could hear drumming and shouting and went to investigate, first thing that struck me was that the marchers were all women, of all ages, some were older in traditional dress and others were young students waving placards. They were split into distinct groups with their own colours and banners, it seemed like organised chaos..we gathered from their signs that some were marching for women's rights, others for sexual freedom and gay rights. Leading members of the groups were shouting into loud speakers, stirring the crowds to chant, others played drums and accordians creating a crazy rhythm. There was a kind of carnival atmosphere with people blowing whistles and jumping around but also this serious undertone that they really believed in what they were marching for, the mass police presence suggested that it was a serious event. We followed the crowds through the main street and up to the ferry port, where you had to go through police barriers and be searched for security, men were stood by the side of the road and all looked a little bemused at what was going on, I think with the city being so cosmopolitan in places you forget that there is still a lot of sexual discrimination here. I noticed very early on that in tourist areas like Sultahnamet you rarely see women working, and indeed rarely see them out at all..I left the rally on a high, the high spirited atmosphere was contagious but it also really made me think about the position of women in Turkey today and left me wanting to research a bit the rights that they are entitled to and whether its expected that there will be any change.
So there you have it...Just another completely random, vibrant, thought provoking day in Istanbul..
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