Portrait of Mevhibe Sefik the first Turkish Cypriot woman art teacher.

Abstract

The professional achievement of women is very important in the development of the Turkish Cypriot society. The role of the first women teachers in the progress of education system held an important share in the trend of modernization of the society. The first half of the 20th century for Cyprus was a period of struggle to gain independence and retain its national identity under difficult conditions both economically and politically. The presence of specialist women in every occupational field could not be achieved prior to the 1950s. The achievements can he performed only in an environment that offers a rich educational background. During the periods that lacked this essential educational system for female students on the island under the British Rule, young scholars training to be teachers made the best of every opportunity and knowledge they acquired from the educators, mainly non-natives to improve themselves. This paper will introduce the reader to one of these women who is the first Turkish art teacher in Cyprus. Our attempts to discover more about the life of this first woman art teacher led to Mevhibe Sefik. She is, in fact, remembered today not only as an art teacher but also as the first female typing instructor and stage designer.

Keywords: Mevhibe Sevik, Cyprus, Turkish woman, artists, theatre, art teacher, secondary education, girls's schools, art education.

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A Society in an Attempt to Modernize and Art Education

Initiation of art lessons within the curriculum of the secondary schools is important for the development of contemporary art as it is in the case of modernization of the Turkish Cypriot society. It is believed that determining the share of the women art teachers alongside the artists for this evolution, plus writing their biographies would contribute to enlighten the social history of the Turkish Cypriot society.

The opening of the first girls' school in comparison with the world standard and even with the large provinces of the Ottoman Empire come rather late to Cyprus. The first primary school for the girls was opened in 1888 (Behcet, 1969, p. 65) while the secondary school called Victoria Inas Industrial School was opened in 1902. (Dedecay, 1985, pp. 10-11) The history of the art lessons in the secondary schools' curriculum is dating back to 1925s. Hitherto, in the case of Turkish woman art teachers, began in the early 1940s. The following names of early art teachers, encountered in the course of a research for the evolution of western art in the Turkish society in Cyprus, are cited without making any gender or nationality difference: Ahmet Rifat Efendi, (An, 2002, p. 413) Ahmet Burhanettin (Nesim, 1987, p.21; Feridun, c. 2000, p.21), Ismet Guney in Idadi School (later called Islam Lycee), Miss Serra (Nesim, 1987, p. 270), Seref Bey, Mrs. Maxwell, Mrs. Stone, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Megaw and Mevhibe Sefik in Victoria Girls' School), (1) and Mr. Diamantis in Teachers' Training School established in 1937 (Feridun, c. 2000, p. 47).