There Is a Village Far Away: GARCI

December 2025 - November 2026
ARTVİN

There is a Village Far Away: GARCİ, is a cultural and arts project that will transform the derelict old school building in the village of Garci into a cultural and artistic space. Built on a strong infrastructure and grounded in the belief in the transformative impact of culture and art, the project hosts creative productions across various art forms that follow the rhythms of the natural calendar. The project contributes to passing on the village culture of Garci, particularly Hemşin culture, to future generations through a series of events that make disappearing cultural values visible. It also aims to revive and sustain the spirit of imece (a Turkish word for collective communal labour), to express social issues through cultural and artistic means, and to emphasise the importance of collective thinking and collaborative production.

Hendek Village Association for Environmental Protection, Culture, Tourism, Social Aid, and Solidarity

The Hendek Village Association for Environmental Protection, Culture, Tourism, Social Aid, and Solidarity (Garci-Der) has been established with the goal of fostering social, cultural, economic, and environmental development in our village. The association was founded on the basis of the village community’s commitment to preserve their shared way of life, maintain the tradition of solidarity, and make local values visible. Other objectives are enhancing the social, cultural, and environmental conditions of Hendek (Garci) village, conducting activities that benefit the community, and guaranteeing the village's advancement in the arts and culture space. Since its inception, the association has worked in the spirit of collective effort to find solutions to the village’s social needs and to enhance the quality of communal life. In its early years the main activities of the association included the repair of the village’s communal spaces, support for agricultural and environmental projects, and raising awareness regarding education and health.

Over time, Garci-Der has evolved into a space that is dedicated to the production of cultural and artistic works, in addition to serving as a platform for social solidarity. Under new leadership, the association’s main objective is to preserve Garci and Hemşin culture, language, and heritage and integrate the principles of solidarity and collective endeavour with collective communal labour. In this sense, work has begun to convert the village’s old school building into a cultural and artistic space. This space will serve as a place where the villagers can express their culture, where young people and women can participate in production, and where collective memory will be documented.

Garci-Der’s objective is to create a civil space that strengthens solidarity, cultural diversity, environmental awareness, and social participation; it also aims to assist the village community in the development of a culturally sustainable lifestyle. The organization has established a mission to carry Garci’s legacy into the future by integrating the tradition of collective communal labour with the contemporary sense of solidarity.

Connections:

https://www.instagram.com/garci_der

This page is published on 23 March 2026.
Last update: 24 March 2026