The 2nd Martyr Berçem Women's Culture and Art Festival will kick off today in Kobanê and run until Sunday 9 September. The festival, organized by the Hilala Zêrîn Women's Culture and Art Movement of Northern and Eastern Syria, will be held in Kobanê with the slogan "Women's art becomes more beautiful with the light of the sun."

The festival will be attended by women's art groups from the cities of Kobanê, Qamishlo, Afrin, Aleppo, Raqqa, Tabqa, Derik, Amûdê and Manbij, as well as other places. In addition, artists from the Middle East and Europe will participate via "Skype."

Mizgin Çolaq, member of the Martyr Berçem Festival Organizing Committee and spokesperson for the Hilala Zêrin Movement, told ANHA that this year's festival will be organized within the scope of the international campaign demanding freedom for Abdullah Öcalan. Mizgin added that nearly 5 thousand brochures telling the life of the Kurdish people’s leader will be distributed.

The 4-day program of the 2nd Martyr Berçem Festival is as follows:

6 September

A march will be held at 10:00.

A painting exhibition will open at the Baqî Xido Culture and Art Center at 11:00 and a film about the life of Martyr Berçem will be shown.

At 13:00, plays by the Martyr Darsin Group, Ararat Group and Martyr Sakîne Group will be staged at the Baqî Xido Center.

Music and folklore night

Time: 18:00

Location: Martyr Egîd Square

A film about the life of Abdullah Öcalan will be shown.

7 September

Documentary: Hêza

Time: 13.00

Place: Baqi Xido Center

Music and folklore night

Time: 18.30

Place: Martyr Egîd Square

Martyr Sakîne Group, Girestêrk Group, Martyr Esmer Group, Martyr Viyan Soran Group and artists Yasmin Esker and Sumeya Mihemed will take the stage.

8 September

Art groups consisting of Martyr Ronahi, Martyr Sosin Bîrhat, Martyr Sinan, Martyr Hevrin, Martyr Şilan, Artsax and Leyalî El 20 will exhibit their works.

Time: 13.00

Place: Baqi Xido Center

Music and folklore night

Time: 18.30

Place: Martyr Egîd Square

Rojhilatê Kurdistan artists Şadi Xulami, Siham Nebo and Mizgin Girbawi will perform songs.

Martyr Hêlîn Cûdi Group, Martyr Delîla Group, Martyr Hezîl Group and Mothers Group will also exhibit their works.

9 September

Poets Xalide Hisen and Meryem Temir will read poems.

A seminar titled "Women's culture and art, women's literature and the role of Leader Abdullah Öcalan" will be given by Mizgin Çolaq, Şerin Raşid and Botan Huşe.

Time: 13.00

Place: Baqi Xido Center

Music and folklore night

Time: 18:00

Location: Şehit Egîd Square

Tunisian artist Emel Mesêusi, artist Munetullah Xemis and Nesrin Botan will perform their songs. Şehit Barîn Group, Şehit Heyva Group, Şehit Alanya Group, Şehit Delîla Group and Şehit Nalin Group will perform their works.

The first festival was held in Aleppo in 2020.

Martyr Berçem

Berçem Afrin was born in 1974 in the village of Kawenda in the Raco city of Afrin. She grew up in a patriotic family, who went to Aleppo to work. There, martyr Berçem met the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. She loved singing and joined the Agiri Group in 1988. She developed her personality intellectually, politically and culturally within the group. She joined the Kurdistan Freedom Movement in 1992, and earned a place in everyone's memory with her song "Beritana min".