Miras 50

In 1964, over 50 years ago now, the Belgian-Turkish labour treaty was signed, which set in motion a migration wave of Turkish immigrants to Belgium. Miras (meaning heritage in Turkish) is a travelling exhibition shedding light on the history of Turkish presence in Flanders and Brussels, using a handful of small stories set within a bigger background. It aims to picture the history of migration in a rich but nuanced manner, counter to common clichés and hoping for more mutual understanding. It is quite remarkable that Turkish immigrants themselves take a stand. Personal accounts are included, next to historic information, mobile heritage and artistic portraits by photographer Aysel Kaçar. This initiative was set up by the Union of Turkish societies (vzw) and Kardelen (vzw), two organisations making an effort to enhance emancipation, participation and integration of Turkish communities within Belgian society.