The 30th International Kurdish Culture Festival will be held in Landgraaf, Netherlands, with the slogan "Emê li dijî dagirkerî û qirkirinê Kurdistanê biparêzin, Rêber Öcalan azad bikin" (We will defend Kurdistan against occupation and genocide. We will liberate Leader Öcalan). The Dutch Kurdistan Communities Council (DEM-NED) International Kurdish Culture Festival Committee called for strong participation in the festival to be held on Saturday, 17 September.

The statement said: “The 30th International Kurdish Culture Festival is held this year during a very important period. The festival is much more important this year due to the process we have been through. The colonial invading Turkish state wants to get results with its policies of occupation and massacre in all parts of Kurdistan. The people of Kurdistan and their friends should work to transform the festival into a field of resistance and a national cultural event.”

Background

Since 1992, the Kurdish community in Europe have gathered for the International Kurdish Cultural Festival. It is an important event for the Kurdish Diaspora, which has grown in size and prominence over the last few decades.

This festival was first celebrated in Bochum, Germany in July 1992. Through the International Kurdish Cultural Festival, the Kurdish community celebrates its identity and expresses the diversity of all aspects of Kurdish culture, including literature, music, theater, and cuisine. With hundreds of information and sales stands, books and magazines about Kurdistan, traditional clothing, and other cultural and educational items are available to all attendees.

Representatives of different religious communities, journalists, and writers who present their works are also an integral part of the festival. In addition, women’s movements from Kurdistan and other countries are provided with their own autonomous space at the festival, and there is a special program for children as well. On the festival’s main stage, Kurdish and international artists, including musicians and dancers are featured, and speeches and statements of support from Kurdish and international politicians will be made.

The International Kurdish Cultural Festival has been a success since its founding and is now the largest and most enduring activity in the diaspora.

The festival has been organised by the Democratic Council of the Kurds in the Netherlands (DEM-NED) and the Commission on Foreign Relation of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK).