CULTURE

Latest News

• The last Armenian house in Muş resisting destruction 

  The region between Van, Muş and Bitlis was home to a large Armenian population before the 1915 genocide. In Muş, the owner of the last Armenian house is resisting demolition in the course of urban renewal.
• ‘Çîrokên Gulê’ Kurdish book series for kids 

  Kerem Tekoğlu, who wrote a Kurdish book series for kids, said “In order to keep Kurdish, one of the richest and the oldest languages of the Middle East, alive, we aim to add a drop of water into the ocean of this language."
• Nine churches and monasteries in Mardin enter UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List 

  Nine medieval churches and monasteries in Midyat and the surrounding area in the province of Mardin have been added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List. 
• MED-DER: You cannot make us step back 

  A press conference was organised for 11 people who were detained within the operation launched against Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Union in Amed on Monday.
• Ji Bo Azadiyê gets Audience Award at IFFG 

  The Audience Award IFFG 2021 went to the Kurdish film The End Will Be Spectacular by director Ersin Çelik.
• PEN International calls for conviction of Kurdish member to be overturned 

  PEN International called for action for Kurdish member and writer Gulgeş Deryaspî who was sentenced to six years and three months in prison in Turkey for ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’ in December 2020.
• German artist Kilpper: Isolation imposed on Öcalan is "a crime against humanity" 

  German artist Thomas Kilpper, a professor at Bergen, one of Norway's leading universities, said isolation imposed by the Turkish state on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan on Imrali Island is "a crime against humanity".
• Zizek gives guest lecture at Kobanê University: “You Kurds are my model” 

  Slavoj Zizek gave a guest lecture at Kobanê University. The lecture met with lively international interest.
• Political reading circle invites people to join in 

  Since February, there has been an online reading circle in which the book "Sociology of Freedom" by Abdullah Öcalan is read and discussed. The weekly sessions are open to all interested newcomers.
• London Kurdish Film Festival online kicks off  

  This year marks the 20th anniversary of London Kurdish Film Festival and to celebrate it the organisers of the 12th edition have decided to partner with 10 other renowned Kurdish film festivals around the globe.
• Lake Van photo wins NASA competition 

  A satellite image of Lake Van in Van province has won NASA's Tournament Earth photo competition. The photo was taken on board the ISS and was shot by US astronaut Kate Rubins.
• All ready for the opening of London Kurdish Film Festival on 16 April 

  The London Kurdish Film Festival will celebrate its 12th edition online with the first ever Global Kurdish Film Festival.
• Kobanê University hosts guest lecture by philosopher Slavoj Zizek 

  Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek will give an online guest lecture at Kobanê University titled “Is democracy still an option today?”
• London Kurdish Film Festival goes global and opens with 4 films by Yilmaz Güney 

  The12th London Kurdish Film Festival will present the Global Kurdish Film Festival from 16 to 27 April and will open with 4 films by Yilmaz Güney.
• Martyr Yekta Herekol Theater Festival continues in Qamishlo 

  The theater play Venasin was performed as part of the Martyr Yekta Herekol Theater Festival.
• The story of a song: "Li Mêrdînê li Bagokê" 

  On April 1, 1988, 20 members of the Kurdish guerrilla organization ARGK died on Mount Bagok in a battle with the Turkish army. Under the impression of the resistance, the song "Li Mêrdînê li Bagokê" was penned by Hozan Dilgeş.
• Kurdish writer and intellectual Keremê Seyad died in Armenia. 

  Kurdish writer and intellectual Keremê Seyad died at the age of 82 in Armenia.
• Iran’s soft power assimilates Kurds 

  The Iranian state shapes the characteristics of the Kurdish people in the region and uses a policy of “melting” by using its "soft" power.
• Abdullah Öcalan and Sakine Cansiz volumes at yearly book fair in Quito 

  The books of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and Sakine Cansiz, one of the founders of the PKK who was murdered in Paris on January 9, 2013, were exhibited at the fair in Quito, Ecuador.
• Martyr Yekta Herekol Festival to be celebrated in Qamishlo on Saturday 

  Preparations have been completed for the Martyr Yekta Herekol Festival, which will be held for the 5th time this year. The festival will take place on 27 March at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Art Center in Qamishlo.
• London Kurdish Film Festival launches this year's edition trailer on Newroz 

  The 12th London Kurdish Film Festival has launched the trailer of the “first-ever Global Kurdish Film Festival Edition” on Newroz day.
• New song by artist collective from Northern Kurdistan 

  After two months of preparation, an artist collective from Northern Kurdistan has completed the song "PKK" along with its accompanying video: "We tried to reflect society's passion for Kurdish resistance."
• Leyla Güven sends message from prison supporting Kurdish Language Campaign 

  DTK co-chair Leyla Güven sent a message from prison to support the Kurdish language campaign launched a month ago. "The Kurdish language has lived until today thanks to resistance."
• "Children first": A cultural association for children in Amed 

  The “Children First” association in Amed works to ensure that the Kurdish language and culture are passed on to the new generations. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the association is still active, and children from many countries join online.
• Writers and HDP politiancs meet in Van to talk about Kurdish language 

  The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Van Provincial Organization brought together writers and journalists who have been working on Kurdish language.