Mustafa Olpak

Mustafa Olpak ( 1953 in Ayvalık , Turkey - October 3, 2016 in İzmir ) was an Afro-Turkish stonemason , book author and activist.

Olpak became famous for the publication of the biography of his grandfather, who was sold as a slave from Kenya to what was then Ottoman Crete at the end of the 19th century and who settled in Turkey after his release. His book made the Afro-Turkish community and the fact that there were African slaves in the Ottoman Empire better known within Turkey. He later published another book. With his participation, the film Baa Baa Black Girl was made about his family history, which was awarded at a film festival in Zanzibar in 2007 .

In 2006, Olpak founded an association for Afro-Turks in Ayvalık . He was a stonemason by profession.

On October 3, 2016, Olpak died of heart failure.

Works

Kenya-Girit-İstanbul: Köle Kıyısından İnsan Biyografileri , Istanbul 2005 (2006 as Biographie d'une famille d'esclaves: Kenya-Crète-Istanbul published in French translation)

swell

Kai Strittmatter: As a punishment, grandfather ended up in a cage , Tages-Anzeiger , March 10, 2006
Kai Strittmatter: Obama promises new beginnings for Muslims / Afro-Turks are happy about black presidents , Tages-Anzeiger, April 7, 2009
Ayşe Karabat: Turks with African ancestors want their existence to be felt. Today's Zaman , May 11, 2008, archived from the original on May 14, 2008 ; accessed on August 6, 2016 .

Individual evidence

↑ Michael Ferguson and Aysegul Kayagil: In Memoriam - Mustafa Olpak (1953-2016). In: networks.h-net.org. October 11, 2016, accessed February 17, 2017 .
↑ Michael Ferguson and Ayşegül Kayagil: Mustafa Olpak obituary. In: www.theguardian.com. The Guardian , November 11, 2016, accessed February 17, 2017 .
↑ Detlef Langer: International film festival on Zanzibar: slavery in the focus of the cameras . Qantara.de , July 18, 2007, accessed August 6, 2016.

personal data
SURNAME	Olpak, Mustafa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Afro-Turkish stonemason, book author and activist
DATE OF BIRTH	1953
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ayvalık , Turkey
DATE OF DEATH	3rd October 2016
Place of death	Izmir , Turkey

[1] Michael Ferguson and Aysegul Kayagil: In Memoriam - Mustafa Olpak (1953-2016). In: networks.h-net.org. October 11, 2016, accessed February 17, 2017 .

[2] Michael Ferguson and Ayşegül Kayagil: Mustafa Olpak obituary. In: www.theguardian.com. The Guardian , November 11, 2016, accessed February 17, 2017 .

[3] Detlef Langer: International film festival on Zanzibar: slavery in the focus of the cameras . Qantara.de , July 18, 2007, accessed August 6, 2016.