"Those who still defend forgetting today are not only afraid of the past, but also the future. An unforgotten past is the assurance of future."
Hrant Dink

23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory, while carrying the memory with all its truth to the future acts as a space that fosters dialogue, sharing and imagination of a future together, turns one year old on 23.5 April 2020. Over the course of one year, 23.5 acted as a site of remembrance, commemoration, reflection, truth and conscience. Through its workshops and events 23.5 became a living meeting point by bringing together people from different age groups, professions, backgrounds and identities.

Our visitors registered their thoughts and dreams about truth, memory, justice and hope while some of them entrusted their stories to 23.5. We gave special importance to the value of asking questions to each other by keeping in mind that memory sites are more of a question rather than answers. While remembering the pain of the past we never forgot that the future is promising. While dreaming of Ali throwing the ball to Agop, we also kept in mind that dialogue is the only recipe and that there are thousands of people seeking to turn the hell we where they live into heaven. Happy us that we had the chance to meet with some of these people at 23.5 and we felt empowered.
We believed in the importance of using an inclusive, participatory and dialogue based language and we have been striving to talk with people rather than talking to people. With this approach we have been seeking to promote the universal values embraced and championed by Hrant Dink — such as democracy, equality, justice, human rights and freedoms

We would like to celebrate our first birthday with you by multiplying the good wishes for democracy, justice, peace and co-existence.

In one of his articles Hrant Dink wrote,

’Come, let us first understand each other...
Come, let us first respect each other’s pain...
Come, let us first let one another live..’

Inspired by Hrant Dink's quote we prepared a video. While sharing this video with you, we also would like to give the floor to you to multiply the hope and good wishes about future.

Come, let's multiply kindness by sharing our messages of hope for the future on 23.5 April by using the hashtag #comeletusfirst

While not forgetting the value of remembering, we do hope to build a future where coexistence, mutual understanding, democracy and peace prevail as much as we hope to support each other and grow in numbers.

With perseverance, conscience, hope and love.