First edition of Kurdish Cultural Festival in Paris to kick off on 14 May

The CDK-F will present in Paris the first edition of the Kurdish Cultural Festival. The event will kick off on 14 May.

The Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) will present, in partnership with the Institute for Reflection and Studies on Kurdistan (IREK), the Kurdistan Arts and Culture Association (ACK) and the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation, the first edition of the Kurdish Cultural Festival of Paris, sponsored by the city of Paris as well as the 10th and 18th arrondissements and the municipalities of Montreuil (93) and Grigny (91).

Taking place from 14 to 28 May in Paris and other towns in the Ile de France region, this unique festival is an invitation to discover an unknown people and a rich and varied cultural heritage that can be found and is now threatened. Beyond the need for the Kurds to preserve their culture, it responds to the need to promote and share it.

The CDK-F said promoting the festival and Kurdistan: “Located in the heart of Mesopotamia, a fertile land criss-crossed by the legendary Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Kurdistan includes a diversity of peoples with a multi-millennial cultural heritage. The Kurds are certainly the largest group, but the Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs and Turkmens also mark the socio-cultural landscape of this region which saw the birth of agriculture and the first civilizations.

Straddling four states, Kurdistan has never been an independent or legally recognized entity, which explains why a large part of the Kurdish, Assyrian and Armenian heritage is claimed by the states that occupy this territory (Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria).”

The Kurdish organisation in France invite to this festival “all those eager and curious to discover one of the oldest cultures of Mesopotamia, through its music, its songs, its dances, its gastronomy, its cinema, its theater. In addition to artistic and culinary performances and exhibitions, you can attend film screenings and take part in discussions. Children will not be left out: a workshop to introduce them to traditional Kurdish tales and games will be dedicated to them. Finally, the last day of the festival will be crowned by a big concert with the participation of internationally renowned Kurdish singers.”