CULTURE

Latest News

• Stêrk TV presenter Şêrko Celal passed away due to Covid-19 

  Stêrk TV presenter Şêrko Celal passed away on Saturday in a hospital in France where he was being treated for Covid-19.
• Linguist Necmiye Alpay: “Respect for mother tongue is vital for social peace” 

  Linguist Necmiye Alpay, who commented on the TV host Didem Arslan's discriminatory remarks on the Kurdish language, stated that "Respect for mother tongues is one of the minimum conditions of social peace; this needs to be realized now."
• PEN International launches campaign for Kurdish writer Meral Şimşek 

  Kurdish PEN member, writer and poet Meral Şimşek is facing up to 15 years in prison on the charge of ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’ and up to seven-and-a-half-years on the charge of ‘making terrorist propaganda’.
• Tabqa 2nd Cultural Music Festival opens tomorrow 

  Tabqa Culture and Art Committee is preparing for the 2nd Local and Cultural Music Festival which will begin tomorrow, 28 August.
• 5500-year-old houses uncovered in Malatya 

  The remains of houses built 5500 years ago have been uncovered in the Arslantepe excavation site in Malatya. In addition to the four houses, 28 graves have also been discovered that are believed to be a thousand years old.
• Amed City Theatre to offer free workshops 

  Amed City Theatre will offer free workshops including theatre training.
• Guerrillas release music video praising the Zendura resistance 

  The guerrillas have released a music video dedicated to the Zendura resistance.
• HDP demands respect for Kurdish language and culture 

  A society whose language is not free cannot liberate itself. The HDP condemns the criminalization of Kurdish language and culture in Turkey and demands respect.
• Hajin Youth Assembly opens exhibition featuring photographs of Abdullah Öcalan 

  Hajin Youth Assembly opened an exhibition featuring photographs of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan.
• MED-DER co-chair Kan says Kurdish language should be used in daily life  

  MED-DER co-chair Şilan Kan said that the Kurdish language should be used in daily life, thus gaining an official dimension in all institutional structures and society.
• Panel in Shehba addresses damage done by Turkey to historical sites in Afrin 

  A panel was held in Shehba on the damage done by the Turkish state to historical sites in Afrin.
• Art associations work with children in flood-affected areas of Van 

  Art associations came together with children in the flood-affected district of Xaşkan and organized a cultural event.
• Artist Zehra Doğan presents Prison No. 5 exhibition in Berlin 

  Zehra Doğan will be giving a talk on 14 August 14 in the garden of the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin. The artist is presenting her solo exhibition «Prison No. 5».
• Ancient traditions and cultures find new house in Dêrik 

  A cultural center has been built in an empty house near Dêrik in Rojava, where ancient traditions and cultures are maintained.
• Kurdish artists: We need to act now, tomorrow may be too late 

  Kurdish artists in Cologne discussed what could be done against the Turkish occupation. Musician Hozan Diyar warned of a war between Kurdish forces.
• Musician Xelil Xemgin making good progress, says Kurdish Artists Initiative 

  The Kurdish Artists Initiative issued a statement on the condition of artist Xelil Xemgin and said his condition “is good, there is no cause for concern."
• Fifth edition of Martyr Herekol Book Fair ends in Qamishlo 

  The fifth edition of Martyr Herekol Book Fair in Qamishlo, ended with a ceremony.
• A book by Arife Bekir: "Afrin: From Heaven to Hell" 

  In her book "Afrin: From Heaven to Hell," Afrin-born author Arife Bekir recounts the persecution of the Kurdish population under the Baath regime, the revolution and self-rule, and the Turkish invasion.
• Yazidi artists release music video for martyr Mam Beşir 

  Several Yazidi artists have released a musical video for Mam Beşir who was martyred in Shengal.
• Martyr Ronahi Bawer Folklore Festival continues in Hesekê 

  Ten folklore groups took the stage on the second day of the Martyr Ronahi Bawer Folklore Festival in Hesekê. The festival continues today.
• 5th Martyr Herekol Book Fair opens in Qamishlo 

  The 5th Martyr Herekol Book Fair has opened in Qamishlo. Dozens of publishers from different countries are exhibiting over a hundred thousand books, and accompanying events are being held.
• All set in Qamishlo for Fifth Martyr Herekol Book Fair  

  The Martyr Herekol Book Fair will be held for the 5th time in Qamishlo. The fair opens tomorrow at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Art Center and will see the participation of 44 publishing houses.
• UNESCO includes Hawraman to World Heritage List 

  The remote, beautiful and mountainous landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat has been included by UNESCO in its World Heritage List.
• Turkey slams UNESCO concerns over Hagia Sofia 

  Turkey accuses UNESCO of violating the country's sovereignty after the organisation’s World Heritage Committee voiced “grave concern” over the fate of Hagia Sophia.
• Hozan Diyar Dersim says Turkey's operations in South Kurdistan damaging Barzani's reputation 

  Hozan Diyar Dersim argued that Turkey's operations in South Kurdistan are also damaging Barzani's reputation and called on all peshmerga, Kurdish forces, institutions and the people to take a stand against these provocations.