By Charles Mgbolu
It's a cold, blustery day in southeastern Türkiye as Yahaya Hassan Labaran, a third-year civil engineering PhD student from Nigeria, and 15 friends enter a mid-scale restaurant near Gaziantep University to say their prayers and share a meal.
Labaran smiles as he looks around; some of these friends he hadn't seen in two years since the events of February 6, 2023, when two major earthquakes struck Türkiye.
The twin tremors of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale ravaged 11 Turkish provinces in the south — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa. According to official data, 53,537 people died, and more than 107,000 were injured.
Labaran and his friends were in their dormitories on the Gaziantep University campus when the walls started shaking at 4.17am local time.
When the second earthquake happened, Labaran recalls grabbing his laptop and passport before sprinting down the spiralling, dark stairways of the apartment block.
"I am from Nigeria and had never experienced an earthquake before. What happened that morning will remain one of the scariest moments of my life," he tells TRT Afrika.
February 6, 2023, is also etched in fellow Nigerian Aliyu Jigawa's mind like a ghastly spectre. This first-year master's student of power systems engineering at Gaziantep University was alone and asleep in his dormitory room when he felt his bed shaking violently. Then all hell broke loose.
"It was like a scene from a movie. I didn't know it was an earthquake. I didn't know what was happening. I just clung to my bed and muttered my prayers," Jigawa recounts to TRT Afrika.
Microcosm of Africa
Gaziantep University, which has 20 faculties and is recognised for its focus on scientific and technological research, attracts thousands of international students. With English being the primary language of instruction, the campus is also a preferred choice of students from Africa.
As of January 2023, nearly 61,000 students from the continent were studying in Türkiye, many on scholarships offered by the Turkish government, the state-run Anadolu News Agency quoted the then foreign affairs minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as saying weeks before the earthquakes.
The Turkish government assisted many African students caught in the disaster in relocating to other cities to finish their studies. Students like Labaran and Aliyu decided to stay put.
"I decided to stay in the face of the terrifying calamity as I wanted to contribute my mite to turning this story of immense pain into one of strength and lessons," says Labaran.
He is one of the leaders of the African Students' Union Group (ASUG) Türkiye, founded after the earthquakes.
"We saw how the earthquake impacted foreign students. The group was primarily formed to ease communication among ourselves," recalls Labaran.
The student WhatsApp group, which now has more than 100 members, shares daily posts, alerts, and notifications, especially for newly registered students still trying to adjust to their new environment.
"With my training as a civil engineer, I sensitise students to earthquake safety protocols, hallmarks of a safe building, and the documents required from homeowners, such as an earthquake resistance certificate," says Labaran.
Aliyu Jigawa is also part of a group on social media for international students, primarily from Africa.
"The group admins work hard to keep everyone informed by providing news alerts and public information translations. This is to aid communication, especially for freshers who aren't conversant with the Turkish language," he says.
Shared tragedy binds
Commemorating two years after the deadly quakes, residents in cities affected by the disaster gathered in town squares at 4.17am on Thursday to observe a moment's silence for the victims. Silent marches were also held in several cities as a tribute to the victims.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared a message on X in memory of all 53,537 victims of the earthquakes.
"From day one, we united as a state and a people, saying 'We are one', and never once withdrew our support from the earthquake-affected regions," he said, pledging continued rebuilding efforts with "unwavering determination, hard work, and resilience" until every citizen has a safe home.
Labaran intends to attend a lecture organised for African students in Gaziantep as part of the commemoration.
"The aim is to ease the mode of communication for foreign students in the event of an emergency," he explains. "We plan to develop this model and be consistent even after we have wrapped up our studies and left the country."
Jigawa still shudders at the thought of the earthquakes. "It was a devastating experience, one that I cannot put into words. But I always pray for them (the victims), and I commend the Turkish nation, especially seeing how resolute the survivors have been and how they have picked themselves up as a country and moved on."
Halfway through their meal at the restaurant, Labaran stands to make a short announcement, and the group falls silent as they once again mark a minute of silence for the victims.
"It is difficult dealing with the pain, but this incident has given me a deeper appreciation for life," says Labaran.
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