26 year old Hüseyin Akkaya is a foreign worker in Denmark, more specifically Ringsted. His way from Turkey to Denmark has according to himself taken him from an authoritarian state to a working democracy.
By Andreas Friis & Magne Kaae
To understand how Turk Hüseyin Akkaya ended up in a small apartment in Ringsted, Denmark, you have to go back to 1980ies Bulgaria, 5 years before Hüseyin was born.
Here, Hüseyins parents lived with his sister and thus were a part of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, who experienced the brutal and consequent assimilation policies from 1959 to 1989. Laws were implemented to force the Turkish minority to change their Muslim names, mosques were torn down and even the Turkish language was forbidden.
It all culminated in the late 80ies, where the regime began to use violence against the Turkish minority. This lead to many battles, which resulted in casualties on both sides.
Finally, in 1989, the travel ban inserted for Turks was lifted, resulting in mass emigration with more than 350.000 Turks leaving Bulgaria, including Hüseyins parents. They took all their belongings and moved to a better life in Turkey.
Growing up in Turkey
Hüseyin grew up in Izmir, a large harbor city on the Turkish west coast. It was normal in his family to follow news and politics, and Hüseyin did not like where Turkey was heading.
“When i was in high school, our teacher asked the class, where we saw ourselves in five years. I told him, I would be in Europe. He laughed at me. I remember I asked him if he was not paying attention to what was happening in Turkey,” says Hüseyin.
Private photo
What was happening in Turkey, was that Erdogan was in power. Erdogan catered his politics to the religious and conservative Turks, resulting in favoring religious institutions instead of other more progressive institutions such as universities and science. This is obviously a simplification of the issue, but it was however clear, that Erdogan had a very specific voter type, while also having a firm grasp on how to stay in power.
“With Erdogan, Turkey is not a democracy,” says Hüseyin.
It became clear to Hüseyin, that he did not want to stay in Turkey. This was the case for many Turks back then, and many tried to leave the country but were not allowed into the EU.
And now we get back to Bulgaria because Hüseyin had an ace up his sleeve. Because of his heritage, he held dual citizenship: both Turkish and Bulgarian.
When it comes to passports, the Turkish passport is not nearly as powerful as the Bulgarian. With the Bulgarian passport in hand, he was able to leave the country. The question of where to go got settled, when he got a call from a friend in Denmark. If Hüseyin wanted, he could get a job at a restaurant while also getting a roof over his head. The choice was easy. Hüseyin headed to Denmark.
A bumby ride to Ringsted
Hüseyin arrived at Copenhagen Airport in the summer of 2016 and moved to an apartment in Roskilde, which he shared with the rest of the all-Turkish kitchen staff. He worked at a café in the local shopping center, and he spent most of his free time watching series to try and learn Danish.
“I attended language school in Denmark for about a month, but I work with Turkish people and I live with Turkish people, so mostly I just learned it by myself,” says Hüseyin.
After a short while, he got transferred to another restaurant at the same time. Hüseyin moved to Vejle in Jutland. Once again, everything was new to him.
While Hüseyin did like his job, he was not happy about his working conditions, mainly the pay. Luckily, another Turkish friend had another job for him. For the second time in Denmark, Hüseyin packed his bags, this time settling down in Ringsted.
Mobilepay and a real democracy
After these few move-arounds, Hüseyin finally started to settle down and create a life in Denmark. Having a very simplistic lifestyle and a cheap apartment, he is able to support his family back home.
“Every month I send about 8.000 DKK to my family back in Izmir. That is around half of my monthly salary,” says Hüseyin.
He feels a lot freer than he did in Turkey. Here, he is able to create the life he wants to, without feeling trapped in the very set way, Turkish has become.
“My favorite thing about Denmark is the system. It works. I can transfer money with mobile pay, see my paychecks, everything,” says Hüseyin, who dreams of someday owning his own apartment and maybe get an education.
Photo: Andreas Friis
“I have everything I need, but of course I would like to improve my life here in Denmark, learn the language 100 percent and maybe go to university.”
When asked if Hüseyin would ever consider staying in Denmark for good, his answer is: why not? He is certain of one thing though:
“I will not go back and live in Turkey as long as Erdogan is president. With Erdogan, Turkey is not a democracy.