AboutWhile Turkey is a diverse country with a multitude of minority groups, Vakıflı, its last Armenian village, is slowly disappearing. With most of its younger members living in Istanbul and abroad, this ethnic community of a mere 130 villagers has lost the promise of endurance. Residents are only getting older, and Vakıflı has not seen a single village wedding, a milestone of youth, in 16 years. “A Shrinking Community: Vakıflı, Turkey’s Last Armenian Village” focuses on the people of this small but tight-knit community. The villagers – mothers, fathers, teenagers, children, grandparents, widows, men and women – generously shared their personal lives, their pasts, their ambitions and their losses. Whether the village will survive in the next 50 years is unknown. Vakifli.com, however, will remain as a testimony to these people with modest dreams and big hearts. |