2. Today in 1920s Turkey: 4 August 1927 (Trafik Canavarı or The Beast of Bad Driving)

(Akbaba or "Vulture"/"White-bearded Old Man," 4 August 1927, front page)

This series of cartoons was published 89 years ago today on the front page of the in the satirical journal Akbaba (a pun meaning both “Vulture” and “White-bearded Old Man”). The journal (1922-1977) was published twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. The artist, Ramiz, regularly created cartoons and illustrations for Akbaba. The journal often featured multiple images signed by Ramiz in a single issue in the 1920s. The artist’s signature is located in the upper right corner of the second-row cartoon on the right (the cartoon with the large automobile).

This is a compilation of traffic accident complaints. News about violent traffic collisions abounded at this time in Turkish media as the narrow streets of Istanbul became infested with fast-moving trolleys and automobiles at an astounding rate. When bad drivers combine with bad cars, inexperienced pedestrians, bad roads, and crowded streets the results are fatal. Ramiz uses satire to criticize this unfortunate predicament.

Turkish:
— Vah, vah, yaşamak belası… Şimdi de levha satıyorsun, öyle mi?
— Hayır birader, otomobil kazalarına uğramamak için kendimi “Ya Hafız” sigortasına koydum!
English:
— Tsk, tsk, life’s misfortunes… Now you have to sell (calligraphic) panels, is that right?
— No, brother. I have put myself on the “Oh Hafez” insurance plan to protect myself from an automobile collision!

Turkish:
— Etin okkası yüz kuruş mu? Ben de sizdenim, ikram etmez misin?
— Kasap mısın?
— Hayır, şoförüm!
English:
— Is an oka of meat 100 piasters? I’m one of you, will you not offer me a sample?
— Are you a butcher?
— No, I’m a chauffeur/driver!

Turkish:
— Hamd olsun, hükümet otomobillerin önüne şoförlerin fotoğrafını astırıyor. Ya şimdiye kadar ezdiklerimizin fotoğraflarını astırsaydı!
English:
— Praise God, the government is requiring chauffeurs/drivers to hang their photographs on the front of their automobiles. What if we were required to hang the photographs of those whom we’ve run over!

Turkish:
— İnönü’de düşmanla çarpıştığınız için böyle oldunuz, değil mi?
— Hayır, Eminönü’nde otomobille çarpıştığım için böyle oldum!
English:
— You’ve become like this because you battled the enemy at İnönü, right?
— No, I’ve become like this because I battled an automobile at Eminönü.

Turkish:
— Oğullarımın biri biçiyor, biri ekiyor… Geçinip gidiyoruz…
— Oğulların çiftçi mi?
— Hayır… Biri şoför, biri mezarcı!
English:
— One of my sons does the harvesting and the other the planting… We get by…
— Are your sons farmers?
— No… One is a chauffeur, the other a gravedigger.

Turkish:
— Tahdit-i teslihat konferansında olsam, bütün…
— Silah fabrikalarını kapatırsın değil mi?
— Hayır, otomobil fabrikalarını kapatırım!
English:
— If I were at the Armaments Limitation Conference I would…
— Close down all of the weapons factories, right?
— No, close down all of the automobile factories!