Our story

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Defining it through Gilgamesh, which is accepted as the oldest narrative that has survived from Mesopotamia, becomes the story of the life cycle of Gola.

When Enkidu, Gilgamesh's beloved friend, dies from the world, Gilgamesh encounters the reality of life, death. And after immortality, he runs to the oldest and sets off. When he learns that immortality is almost impossible, he struggles to reach eternal youth. He also loses the grass necessary for eternal youth to the snake and engraves his story on the stones with the thought of "words fly, writing remains".

Here, Gola, when faced with the fact that the ancient knowledge of the peoples of the Eastern Black Sea region and the Laz language was about to die, first interviewed the ancient scholars, then made festivals, artistic workshops, compilations and recordings in order to keep Laz language young. Nowadays, the Gola Association team is preparing to open its entire archive online, which has been accumulating for 17 years and continues to accumulate. On the other hand, it continues to follow the “flying word” by maintaining its compiler identity.

​ ​Gola Association supports the creation of a collaborative and pluralistic society, carries out cultural and artistic studies in this direction, and has an ecological line. It opposes all forms of violence in life and supports peaceful processes. In all his works, Gola acts without straying from the realities and dynamics of the Eastern Black Sea Region. Its purpose is to raise awareness. While conveying this awareness to the relevant local segments, it is based on a democratic and participatory style without dictating it. Gola is a non-hierarchical, multicultural organization that faces the Eastern Black Sea but is open to all kinds of diversity. It is transparent in all its activities and is open to everyone. Gola approaches universal and cultural heritage on the basis of sensitivity to human life and local cultures. Accordingly, it is among the objectives of getting to know and promoting the settled peoples living in the Eastern Black Sea Region, recording their cultural heritage and transferring them to future generations.

​ ​Gola has drawn attention to both ecological and cultural values ​​with its works for many years, has contributed to the aim of revitalizing the local economy and increasing local production.

​ ​For us, Gola is the common framework of the silent generation, lost identities and ignored values. On this path, we love to be US, to be ONE the most.