The bridge builder

Yener Polat: “I collect small wood”

Yener Polat is bursting with energy and doesn't let adversity get him down.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

Vorarlberg is the "Land of Volunteering". In his new series, author Robert Schneider puts people in front of the curtain who are committed to helping others - like Yener Polat.

Last March, he had to leave the rehearsal rooms in Kirchstraße in Bregenz. The state of Vorarlberg announced an urgent refurbishment and its own requirements. This was a big downer for Yener Polat, as the intercultural association "Motif", which is close to his heart, is celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. A suitable rehearsal venue has yet to be found, even though Polat has been awarded the Austrian Integration Prize 2022 and the Outstanding Artist Award for cultural initiatives from the federal government. I meet the 61-year-old at the premises of VINDEX in Römerstraße, the association for the support of refugees from conventions. Yener, who immediately offers me the first word, has found a temporary home there, a tiny office with a table that barely has room for a computer. However, the man, who looks very sporty for his age, gives neither a bitter nor resigned impression. "It will go on, I learned that from my father," he begins to say.

Without further ado, he tells me his life story, which is characterized by a wonderful childhood and its abrupt end. He was born in the small Turkish town of Artvin, which lies in the far north-east of the country, on the border with Georgia. The town nestles against a wooded ridge, with snow-capped mountain ranges rising up behind it. "When I came to Vorarlberg and saw the Bregenzerwald for the first time, I was blown away. I thought: This can't be! The landscape immediately reminded me of home. It was incredible."

The abrupt end of a carefree childhood
His father, who has been dead for a long time, was a shoemaker and leather tanner. His eldest sister was a teacher. A profession that Yener also took up later and still practices today. "I moved from school to school with my sister when I was little. That was a wonderful time. One day, a huge thunderstorm tore our house away in a mudslide. Everything my father had built was lost in a matter of seconds. There was no insurance. Fortunately, we weren't in the house that day, so none of the family was harmed. We found emergency accommodation in a kind of barn. Two rooms upstairs and the cattle downstairs.

The intercultural association "Motif" has a firm place in Vorarlberg's cultural scene.

(Bild: floriankoller_mistura)

The focus is on theater - the performances are of astounding quality

(Bild: floriankoller_mistura)

But my father didn't let it get him down and said that it would only make him stronger. He was right. Things like that, when you have to fight for something, really give you strength, even in later life. That's still the case for me today. So my father looked for a new job and found it in mining, 1500 kilometers away from Artvin. I went to grammar school and then studied to become a teacher in Ankara. I also worked and did social work. I may have inherited this commitment from my grandfather, who was 100 years old. He still knew Kemal Atatürk personally, our great reformer. We were passionate social democrats. I also played a lot of sport and was a soccer referee. I was also a referee in Vorarlberg for a long time."

Moved to Vorarlberg for love
I want to know how he ended up here. "Back then, I ran a taverna on a vacation beach on the Sea of Marmara, even though I was far too young for it. But I was creative, in any case. There I met a girl who, as they would say here, came from the second generation of guest workers, a Turkish girl who came to Vorarlberg when she was ten. That's how I ended up in Vorarlberg in 1988." I ask Yener whether he found it difficult to integrate. "I was lucky that I was immediately accepted into a soccer club. I was also a referee in the Wälderliga, which still existed at the time, even though I didn't understand a word of German. But it didn't matter. The rules were the same. Until, after three years, the soccer association called me in. They asked if I had a problem and said: 'You only showed five red cards in the first two years and now, after the third round, you've already shown ten red cards. What's wrong with you?' To which I replied: 'I can explain that to you: I now know what all the swear words mean'."

Opening the doors to the wide world of culture 
The conversation turns to the "Motif" association, whose founder, artistic director and chairman is Yener Polat. I ask about the tasks and goals that the association has set itself. "Even as a young man in Turkey, I was obsessed with music, art and theater and had a lot of contacts. Here in Vorarlberg, I was particularly interested in giving people of Turkish origin access to culture.

My tree has long and wide roots. Of course, I still have friends in my old homeland. We see each other often. But my children are Vorarlbergers and feel the same way.

Yener Polat

Thanks to my numerous contacts back home, I was able to invite artists here. No big, expensive productions. I collect small wood. But I've been doing it persistently for over 20 years. One of my best experiences was when we organized a guest performance at the Landestheater in 2003 with the actress Yildiz Kenter, who was famous in Turkey at the time. The theater was packed to the last seat. And what particularly touched me: Half of the people who came that evening had never been to a theater before. But they also pay taxes here and help finance culture. Now I didn't just want to be an organizer, I also wanted to offer children and young people a forum, workshops where they could express themselves and perform. Of course, this is also connected to my profession as a teacher. I see myself as a gardener. Daffodils are planted in September. This allows them to develop longer roots before the first frost. How beautiful it is when they start to bloom in spring."

My last question to Yener Polat is whether he has found a home here. "My tree has long and wide roots. Of course I still have friends in my old home. We see each other often. But my children are Vorarlbergers and feel the same way. My daughter, who studied in Innsbruck, once said to me: 'Dad, to them I'm a Gsiberger. Is there a better compliment for integration?"