Hantibum 2026
September 2025 - April 2026
ISTANBUL, BURSA
Hantibum (Meeting) is a series of cultural and artistic events focusing on Western Armenian that will take place throughout March 2026 in Istanbul. The project aims to make Western Armenian more visible in everyday life; through workshops, film screenings, memory walks and discussions, it seeks to bring people of different age groups, especially young people, into contact with this language.
Hantibum, which aims to build a cultural bridge between speakers of Western Armenian in Turkey and around the world, contributes to Western Armenian finding its place in the public sphere as a living language of communication. In this regard, it aims to make the language visible in everyday life by taking it beyond the confines of schools and churches. Writers, artists and cultural producers invited from the diaspora will come together with local communities to carry out joint production processes. At the same time, it aims to strengthen social memory and cultural diversity by opening up spaces for collective thinking on Turkey's multilingual past and present.
Within the scope of Hantibum, workshops, talks, memory walks, poetry and song recitals, dance and movement workshops, philosophy meetings with children, and conversations with guests from the diaspora will be organised in different neighbourhoods of Istanbul. Participants will engage in cultural heritage and literature studies in Bursa. Additionally, participants will engage in production activities at the book design workshop and contribute to social memory through oral history projects during events held at different times.
The events will be designed to be accessible to anyone interested in Istanbul's multicultural fabric, featuring both Armenian-language and bilingual content. This will enhance the visibility of Western Armenian both locally and internationally. Hantibum is not just a series of events; it is also a festival of gathering, creating and sharing. Throughout March 2026, various venues in Istanbul will host Western Armenian through Hantibum.
