Crimean Tatar press in the eyes of Crimean Tatar youth: disputing club in Simferopol

What is the situation with the current Crimean Tatar press and why newspapers coming out in Crimean Tatar language are not demanded by the youth and not interesting to them? These questions were dealt with by the participants of the next disputing club organized by the Crimean-wide Youth Organization “Emel” on November 28, 2012, in the Islamic Cultural Centre of Simferopol.

The event picked up more than hundred people. The discussion was not an abstract one, as the disputing club was visited by editors and journalists of Crimean Tatar publications “Yaniy Dyuniya” (“New World”) and “Kiyrym”, and by students and lecturers from several high education institutions of Simferopol. All the participants, readers and staff from printed matter alike, showed the same concern in trying to find out reasons for the existing problems and ways for their effective solutions.

According to organizers, the main objective was in generating new ideas that could be applied for gradual revival and further development of the existing Crimean Tatar newspapers.

There was a lively discussion in which the participants were touching upon other issues as well, especially ones related with preservation of Crimean Tatar language as such. Other raised issues covered renaissance of religious consciousness and Islamic morality in Crimea.

Editors of Crimean Tatar newspapers pledged to leave space for youth organizations, so that they could inform about their undertakings on pages of the national press. 

Young people proposed several action programs to change the situation. Most exciting ideas include launching flash mob in order to popularize Crimean Tatar newspapers. The proposal to undertake an active campaign to increase the number of subscribers evoked widespread approval.

As the issue was not finally solved, members of “Emel” proposed to continue debates on the subject in the forthcoming future. Meanwhile, effort should be made to implement some decisions of the past disputing club, to have preliminary judgments on their efficiency for the next disputing club.