The second Martyr Berçem Women's Culture and Art Festival organised by the women's cultural movement Hîlala Zêrîn began in Kobanê on Friday. The festival includes a four-day programme of concerts, dance groups, theatre performances, exhibitions and other artistic activities. The event is attended by 450 women from cultural groups from North and East Syria. Among the guests are the Tunisian artist Emel Mathlouthi and the Kurdish artist Şadiya Xulamî from Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan/Iran).

The event kicked off on Friday morning with a colourful parade from the Square of Free Women to the Baqî Xido Cultural Centre. The participating women wore traditional clothing from the Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, Turkmen and other population groups in the region and chanted ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom).

In a speech on behalf of the organisers, Şêrîn Reşîd explained that the festival is a powerful response to the attacks by dictatorial regimes against the cultures of the peoples of the Middle East. A film about the festival's namesake was then shown. Berçem Efrîn, born in 1974 in the Rajo district of Afrin, was a Kurdish musician who joined the Kurdistan Freedom Movement in 1992 and became famous with the song ‘Bêrîtana min’.

This was followed by performances by the theatre groups Koma Şehîd Darsîn, Koma Ararat and Koma Şehîd Sakine. The programme continues today with a concert on Şehîd Egîd Square. 29 music and dance groups are taking part in the festival.