Gali Akish facts for kids
Ali Akish was a well-known journalist and an important leader for the Tatar people. He was born on January 14, 1918, in Hailar, China, and passed away on July 17, 2011, in Ankara, Turkey. He worked hard to support the Tatar community living outside their homeland and was even named the Honorary President of the World League of Tatars.
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Ali Akish's Early Life and Education
Ali Akish grew up in Hailar, a city in Manchuria. He first went to a local Tatar elementary school. After that, he attended a Russian high school, called a lycee.
In 1936, after finishing high school, he traveled to Cairo, Egypt. There, he studied at Al-Azhar University. Two years later, in 1938, he moved to Poland with another young Tatar leader named Ahat Ginish.
Working for the Tatar People
In Poland, Ali Akish and Ahat Ginish helped Ayaz Iskhaki at the Idel-Ural National Center. This center published a newspaper called "Yanga Milli Yul," which means "New National Path." They worked to share news and ideas important to the Tatar people. Their work in Poland was stopped when Nazi and Soviet forces invaded the country.
Life in Turkey and Radio Work
From 1940 to 1966, Ali Akish lived in Turkey. During this time, he continued to be very involved in the Tatar community living outside their homeland. He wrote many articles and booklets to share his ideas.
In 1963, he published a booklet called "Problems of Idel-Ural and Soviet Imperialism." This booklet talked about the struggles of the Tatar people and caught a lot of attention. It even led to responses from the Soviet Union.
Broadcasting for Freedom
In 1966, Ali Akish started working for the Tatar-Bashkir Service of Radio Liberty. This was a radio station that broadcasted news and information to people in the Soviet Union. He worked there until he retired in 1983, when he moved back to Ankara.
He wrote many articles for different publications, like Turk Kulturu. In 1985, he published another booklet, "Idel-Ural'da Hurriyet Mucadelesi," which means "Struggle for Freedom in Idel-Ural." This showed his continued dedication to the Tatar people's freedom.
Standing Up for His People
In 1994, Ali Akish read a book by a Russian politician named Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Akish felt that the book showed ideas that were against Turkey and the Tatar people. He then wrote an article for a Turkish newspaper called "Milliyet."
His article was very important because it was one of the first in Turkey to criticize Zhirinovsky's views. It showed Ali Akish's courage in speaking out against unfair ideas.
Legacy and Recognition
Later in his life, Ali Akish was able to visit Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. On his first visit, he brought a computer and gave it to the Tatar Public Center. He paid for the computer himself.
Ali Akish spent his entire life working to help the Tatar people gain more freedom and overcome challenges. The World Tatar League recognized his important work by naming him their honorary president. A school in the city of Chally (also known as Naberezhniye Chelny) in Tatarstan was also named in his honor.
