21. Today in 1920s Turkey: 24 September 1928 (The War on Ignorance)

(Cover page, Babacan or “Fatherly,” 24 September 1928, no. 21, page 1.)

Comments:
Tis the season for alphabet reform! As mentioned in previous posts (#16 and #20) during autumn of 1928 the Turkish press found itself a permanent occupation in promoting the new Turkish alphabet. The cover of this issue of Babacan does just that as it parrots much of the pro-reform rhetoric dominating the news cycle at this time. From declaring “war” on ignorance to blaming the old, Arabic alphabet for the backwardness of the collapsed Ottoman state the text below the cartoon provides numerous reasons for readers to join in the journal's celebration of this forthcoming change. As of 1 December 1928 publishing in the Arabic alphabet would no longer be permitted and all journals and newspapers (along with their readership) needed to make the transition to the new alphabet by that deadline. Modeled after the Latin alphabet, the new “Turkish” letters were claimed to be easier to learn than the cumbersome Arabic alphabet. Therefore, the reform was framed as being necessary for the definitive elimination of illiteracy and ignorance.

The imagery is simple and straightforward, reflecting the narrative conveyed in the text. Much of the cartoon space is occupied by the protagonist, a red-dressed belle wielding a gigantic pen instead of a weapon. She thrusts her life-threatening pen at a cloaked, monstrous being who frantically flees the scene. As the text reveals, the woman is the muse of learning and science and the ghoulish figure represents ignorance. While this unconventional battle unfolds in the foreground the mascot of the journal and popular folk character, Nasreddin Hodja cheers on the heroine from beyond an indiscriminate horizon line (possibly a wall or a mountain?)—his words recorded in the text below...

English:
The muse of learning and science will win the war again ignorance that has started in our country.
Nasreddin Hodja: Go for it, child! Drive out this ugly ghoul who has for centuries left our veins without science, our souls without faith, or rather, [has left] the country without life, so that our hearts may refresh before you.

Türkçe:
Memleketimizde cehalete karşı açılan muharebeyi ilim ve fen dilberi kazanacak.
Hoca: Ha göreyim evlat!... Asırlardan beri damarlarımızda fen, içimizde iman, daha doğrusu memlekette can bırakmayan şu karakoncolosu topraklarımızdan sürüp at da senin karşında biraz yüreklerimiz ferahlansın.