The destruction and plunder of the invading Turkish state in Afrin involve also the elimination of the culture of the different peoples as a way to break their will.

However, the people of Afrin, bound to the land and culture, are getting organised and reject the invaders’ attempts.

The people of Afrin, who were forced to leave their city and settled in the Canton of Shehba, are organising and getting their autonomous institutions up and running in those new circumstances to counter the annihilation attempts by the Turkish state and its mercenary allies.

Afrin Culture and Art Council moved to the Canton of Shehba and began working with the people to send a clear message to the occupiers: they would never be able to destroy the culture of the peoples of the region. The people would not let the occupiers break their will.

Culture and Arts Council members organized folklore training for their members.

The training program is attended by 57 members of folklore groups within the Culture and Arts Council. The training is given two days a week in the village of Ehdes, Shehba's Fafin district.

Mizgin Çeqali, member of one of the folklore group, said that the invasion carried out by the Turkish army had targeted Afrin to break the will of the people of the region, their identity and the culture of the people.

Mizgin Çeqali added: “Occupiers use all kinds of weapons in their attacks. However, the people, who take their strength and will from the martyrs and the idea and philosophy of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, never abandoned their culture. For this reason, we started our work in the Canton of Shehba.”

The folklore groups are performing all the activities run by the Council of Culture and Arts in the Canton of Shehba.