CULTURE

Latest News

• Germany's PEN and Book Trade Association demand archives to be returned to Mezopotamia and MIR  

  After the ban against the Kurdish publishing houses Mezopotamia and MIR was upheld, it is still unclear what will happen to the confiscated archives. PEN Germany and the German Book Trade Association are demanding the return of the materials.
• Survey: 98.7 percent want education in mother language in Turkey 

  According to the results of a recent survey carried out by the Socio-Political Field Research Center, 87.7 percent of respondents say that education should be in the mother language starting from pre-school.
• Cultural organizations in Amed and Mardin protest repression of musicians singing in Kurdish 

  Culture, art and language organizations in Amed and Mardin protested the repression and arrest of musicians singing in Kurdish in Istanbul.
• Xwebûn: We will continue our activities with the same determination 

  Publisher of Xwebûn Newspaper Kadri Esen said that the government ban on the newspaper targeted the Kurdish language, adding, “We will continue our activities with the same determination.”
• Iranian intelligence organization arrests director Nejad from Eastern Kurdistan  

  It has been reported that the Iranian intelligence organization Itlaat has detained director Miqdat Hesen Nejad from Eastern Kurdistan.
• Interview with Antonia Kilian, director of "The Other Side of The River" 

  The documentary "The Other Side Of The River", which has been released in cinemas in Germany this week, shows the complexity of the women's revolution in Rojava and also its contradictions. ANF spoke to director Antonia Kilian.
• Peace in Kurdistan Campaign protests ban on Kurdish publications and music 

  Peace in Kurdistan Campaign has issued a statement in solidarity with Kurds protesting the ban on their publications and music in Germany.
• Kurdish artist Fırat Med says connection between music and struggle is inevitable 

  Kurdish artist Fırat Med said that the connection between music and art and struggle is inevitable for Kurds.
• Award-winning documentary "The Other Side of the River - No Women No Revolution" in German cinemas 

  Antonia Kilian's award-winning documentary "The Other Side of the River - No Women No Revolution" has been released in German cinemas. As part of a cinema tour, film talks with the director are on the program in various cities.
• German court to issue verdict on Kurdish ban 

  A German Federal Administrative Court will decide on Wednesday whether it will lift the ban on the Mesopotamia Publishing House and Mir Music, two important Kurdish institutions in Germany, introduced by the Ministry of Interior in 2019.
• 217 artists stand in solidarity with Sezen Aksu 

  217 people from the world of culture, art and media issued a message of solidarity with the artist Sezen Aksu, who was threatened by the AKP/MHP government.
• No interest in Kurdish language course promoted by Van trustee  

  The Kurdish language course promoted by the Van trustee did not receive any interest as it has been exposed as a ‘show-off’.
• Lawyer Bolaç accused of "insulting the president" for sharing caricature by Brazilian artist Latuff 

  Lawyer Efkan Bolaç has been charged with "insulting the president" for sharing a work by Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff.
• Kurdish PEN, MYD and Kurdish Writers Association hold signing day for imprisoned writers 

  Kurdish PEN, MYD and Kurdish Writers Association organized a signing day for imprisoned writers in Mardin.
• Women directors gather in Diyarbakir to discuss problems they face in front of and behind the camera 

  Women directors gathered in Diyarbakir to discuss the problems they face in front of and behind the camera as well as women’s representation in cinema.
• Purple Meridians: Women making cinema meet in Amed 

  To stress the importance of reclaiming spaces and getting together, Rosa Kadin together with the 6 directors involved in the project will also organise a panel (in presence) before the screening to which both Ovni and Streeen representatives will particip
• Germany refuses visas for three actors of Amed City Theater  

  The start of the European tour of the Amed City Theater with the play “Don Kîxot” by Cervantes cannot take place as planned. The reason is the visa refusal for three members of the Kurdish company by the German embassy.
• Hrant Dink’s dreams in his own voice: 'Memory too low for words' 

  With its premiere on January 13, the film ‘System Memory Too Low For Words’, devised and produced by Ümit Kıvanç, will recount killed journalist Hrant Dink’s dreams about Turkey and the world in his own voice ahead of his anniversary of death.
• Kurdish newspaper Serxwebûn publishes special 44th anniversary issue 

  With the manifesto "The Path of Revolution in Kurdistan", the first issue of the newspaper Serxwebûn was published 44 years ago. Since January 1982, the newspaper has been published without interruption. Serxwebûn is also a book publishing house.
• The decay of the Saint Bartholomew Monastery in Van 

  The Armenian Saint Bartholomew's Monastery in Van has been abandoned to final decay; a restoration announced in 2011 has still not taken place. The environmental activist Ali Kalçık sees this as a continuation of the genocide against the Armenians.
• Artists from Sulaymaniyah support campaign to remove the PKK from list of terrorist organisations 

  Artists from Sulaymaniyah supported the campaign to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations, supported by artists, intellectuals and politicians around the world, and called for more participation in the campaign.
• Dema Dirîreşkan declines award for best cinematography at Sulaymaniyah Film Festival 

  The film Dema Dirîreşkan (Blackberry Season) was awarded at Sulaymaniyah Film Festival even though it had been withdrawn by the Rojava Film Commune after the banning of another film by the Commune. The crew refused to accept the award.
• Kurdish theatre performance in Paris 

  Paris-based theatre group Teatra Arîn performed for the first time the piece "Gûl Bê Strî Nabê written by Şaliko Bêkes. The group plans to stage the play in many centres in Europe.
• Why was the movie ‘Ji Bo Azadiyê’ banned in Sulaymaniyah Film Festival? 

  Assistant director of the movie Ji Bo Azadiyê, Diyar Hiso said that banning the movie, which was scheduled to be screened at the 5th International Film Festival in Sulaymaniyah, would undermine Kurdish culture, and added that the decision was political.
• PKK TEV-ÇAND Committee condemns banning of 'Ji Bo Azadiyê' in Sulaymaniyah 

  The PKK TEV-ÇAND Committee condemned the banning of the movie "Ji Bo Azadiyê" (For Freedom) at the 5th International Film Festival in Sulaymaniyah and said that the ban undermines both the Kurdish culture and the freedom cause.