Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, August 18, 2021
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| Darya Hodaei |
Darya Hodaei, a pharmacist from Tabriz who lives in Miami, creates videos and visuals in Turkish and English for children. The content she shares on social media has been warmly received by users.
In an interview with Voice of America, the social media activist explains that she started this activity with the aim of teaching Turkish to children living in Iranian Azerbaijan and in the diaspora, as well as creating content related to language and folklore.
After starting her activity on her personal Instagram page, Hodaei expanded her work after receiving positive feedback from users.
"Now, we are working more on YouTube and Instagram, but our website will be launching soon. Our content is also in several types. The first type started with teaching words because, when I talked to my children, I realized that I didn’t know the Turkish names of many animals, fruits, or colors. I mean, in Iran, they never taught us these things anywhere. I initially created the Instagram page with the goal of teaching myself. The page was private at first. For example, if I saw a leaf, I would take a picture of it and share it, writing that, for instance, 'yərpaq' (Tabriz dialect) should not be written, but 'yarpaq,'" says Darya Hodaei.
The social media activist adds, "There was a group of people that I never expected to show appreciation. They were second-generation immigrants. They might not even know Turkish, but their roots are from Azerbaijan. I get messages like, 'For example, one side of my family is from Urmia or from Zanjan.' Now their language is English, and they grew up here. When they see that content in English, they find it appealing because there is such a beautiful part of their identity."
Darya Hodaei started showing interest in language and culture after emigrating to the U.S.
"In [Iran], you're in a wrong atmosphere, and you see that everyone is like you. You don’t think that maybe something is wrong. When you look around and see that no one knows how to write this language, you think, 'This must be the right way. It must be like this.' But after leaving, you see that people value their native language, and you have access to resources to learn it. Then, you follow that path and learn," she notes.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Dərya Hüdayi: İrandan çıxandan sonra gördüm ki, ana dilinə dəyər verirlər