"Elinize sağlık"

"Elinize sağlık" - a Turkish expression of thanks for a meal or handicraft work - is a fundraising campaign for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Georgina Mowwe, a student at the Kassel University of the Arts, initiated the project.

More than 57,000 people lost their lives in the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, 2023. About 1.5 million people lost their homes. Months after the earthquake, the full extent of the damage has still not been recorded. As those affected are still in urgent need of help and every donation is also important, Georgina Mowwe initiated a fundraising campaign. "I then came up with the idea of generating money by drawing. Since I couldn't raise that much on my own, I shared my idea with the Illustration and Comics class. The lively participation and support encouraged me to tackle the project properly," Mowwe says. To that end, she launched an Open Call on Instagram in March, calling for students to illustrate and submit Turkish or Syrian cooking recipes.

Students from the Kassel University of Art and Design as well as external illustrators responded to the open call and submitted 15 recipe posters. The posters depict typical dishes and drinks from Turkish and Syrian cuisine, such as stuffed vine leaves or cheese dumplings. The recipe instructions are in Arabic, Turkish or English. Dana Amayri and Ismail Mert Eker helped with the translation of the recipe instructions. The posters were printed in a uniform blue and pink color palette at the art school's riso workshop. The project initiator received a lot of support, especially from Carlotta Kraft (student, Visual Communication), who was involved in the organization from the beginning. "Overall, people's participation was very nice and heartwarming. We got many more submissions than we could financially print," Mowwe said.

For the poster sale, the students organized an "Elinize sağlık" event at Galeria Kollektiva on April 15, 2023. The event was accompanied by Turkish and Syrian music. Ismail Mert Eker played international folk songs on his saz. Different foods from Turkey and Syria were also offered, some of which were pictured on the posters. The poster sale brought in 1,200 euros. The proceeds from the sale will go to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria and will be donated to the association Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê e. V.. Mowwe encourages her peers, "Doing a project like this can be so easy once you start because there are always people to support you."

The posters will soon be available at the Leipzig Book Fair (4/27-30/23) at the Kunsthochschule Kassel booth. They will also be for sale in selected stores (Kassel) or in the Illuklasse of the Kunsthochschule. They may also soon be available in other cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Halle, Leipzig and Bielefeld.

(Text in German: Çiğdem Özdemir)