EGET FOUNDATION FOUNDER SAFAİ ÖZER COMMEMORATED

Safai Özer, one of the founders of the Education, Geriatrics, Ecological Agriculture, Tourism (EGET) Foundation, was commemorated with the “Living Safai” night.

On March 9th, Safai Özer, one of the founders of EGET Foundation, who passed away, was told by his friends. Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Osman Gürün and Menteşe Mayor Bahattin Gümüş attended the commemoration night.

Safai Özer, one of the founders of EGET Foundation, which carries out its activities based in Muğla in order for low-income students to continue their education, was commemorated with a ceremony called “Living Safai” at Muğla Türkan Saylan Contemporary Life Center.

His friends talked about Özer at the commemoration event. An exhibition of some of Safai Özer’s paintings from his series Son-Kishotlar Son/Suzdur was also opened in the hall where the commemoration was held.

At the ‘Living Safai’ commemoration night, where various examples from the artistic personality of Safai Özer, who was a painter, writer, architect and poet, were presented, sections from Özer’s philosophical world view were also included.

Safai Özer’s journey from Antalya to a mountain village in Burdur and from there to Muğla was told through various video screenings. The journey of art, thought and humanity, in which everyone can find a sign for themselves at some stage, was presented to the audience with six episodes titled Living Safai, Painter Safai, Writer Safai, Esenliktepe, Thinker Safai – Simple Life Philosophy and Born Again Every Day.

Two folk songs, which Safai Özer was said to be his favorite, were performed by Gülçin Kınay Polat and Yunus Dabakoğlu.

Özlem Uzman, who co-founded the EGET Foundation with Safai Özer, said that she had witnessed Özer bringing life wherever he went, “I watched him touch hearts with amazement. I watched his effort to help people he had never met without expectation. I admired his quick wit and was astonished to hear his instant, complete and flawless answers to unexpected questions that could only be given after much thought. I was impressed by his writing skills and eloquence. I respected his contemporary and forward-thinking perspective. I envied his intellectual background and his expert knowledge of agriculture, finance, human psychology, history and many other fields. Some people spend their lives aiming only for their own happiness and end up just like that. Safai, on the other hand, spent his highly productive life always working for the benefit of others. In his own words: ‘What remains of us is either a pleasant or an empty voice. Which one we leave behind when we pass away is directly linked to our choices.’ The journey of Safai’s physical body may have come to an end, but he left a pleasant memory in each of our hearts. We will always remember him with the beauty he left behind and we will work with all our strength to nurture the seeds he entrusted to us. We were happy to be with you on this special night and to relive Safai, who will always live in our hearts.”

SAFAI ÖZER AND EGET

Safai founded the Education, Geriatrics, Ecological Agriculture, Tourism (EGET) Foundation in 2015 with Özlem Uzman in Muğla, where he spent the last phase of his life in this world. The sole and unchanging purpose of the foundation is to provide scholarships to low-income students who have difficulty in getting an education due to financial difficulties. All of the Foundation’s activities are designed around this goal. It was stated that EGET Foundation’s activities can be followed at www.eget.org.tr.

WHO IS SAFAI ÖZER?

Safai was born in Konya in 1952 as the first son of a civil servant family. His mother, Hatice Hanım, was one of the popular and respected Turkish teachers at Konya Maarif College. His father, Mustafa Bey, was a civil servant working at the Soil Crops Office. After graduating from Konya Maarif College, Safai enrolled in the Department of Architecture at Selçuk University, Faculty of Architecture and Engineering. After earning his diploma in 1975, He worked in a public institution for a short time. After completing his military service, he started working as a freelance architect. He lived in America for a while. In 1980 he moved to Antalya, Turkey. Alongside architecture he also designed and manufactured furniture. In 1990, he founded the Kaleiçi Art House in Kaleiçi, Antalya, a prestigious institution that left its mark on the period. In 1994 he moved to a village in Burdur. He grew his own vegetables and fruits in his adobe house and established a life intertwined with nature with countless creatures; Kangal dogs, Sönmez sheep, chickens, roosters, cats. In 2013, he moved to Muğla to realize one of the most important projects of his life. In 2015, she founded EGET Foundation with Özlem Uzman. His first book got published in 1970. Since then, he has published five books. In 1972 he had his first solo photo exhibition. He was a member of Group A and one of the founders of ANFAD (Antalya, Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association). He won the first prize in the Ministry of Culture State Photography Competition. Since 1993, he has held 37 solo exhibitions, including one abroad.