The Stuttgart State Opera in Germany has announced a new production centered on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Pontic Greek ...

The Stuttgart State Opera in Germany has announced a new production centered on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Pontic Greek associations in the region are pushing back hard. The Federation of Pontic Associations of Baden-Württemberg, known as Dodekapolis, sent an official letter of protest and then took the fight directly to the opera's leadership. At the invitation of artistic director Viktor Schoner, Dodekapolis representatives met with opera management in person to lay out their concerns about the production's historical and political framing. The group's statement pulled no punches. They called it "historically unacceptable and morally offensive" that a major European cultural institution funded by German citizens is choosing to turn Atatürk into a "myth." According to Dodekapolis, Atatürk was the man who, beginning with his landing at Samsun in Pontus on May 19, 1919, "orchestrated and carried out the Genocide of 353,000 Greeks of Pontus." Dodekapolis framed the production as a danger that goes beyond one opera house. "When art distances itself from its historical context, it risks becoming a vehicle of historical amnesia," the group said. They were equally direct about the moral stakes: "Giving mythological dimensions to perpetrators of mass violence is a serious moral and cultural wrong." The federation was careful to say they are not against artistic freedom. "Artistic creation is a non-negotiable value of our democracy," their statement read, "but it cannot be used as an alibi for the erasure of crimes against humanity." They called on the opera's management to reflect on its social responsibilities and immediately review its approach to the production. The Stuttgart State Opera has not issued a public response to the protest. #PonticGenocide #Stuttgart #Dodekapolis