Kurdish youth across the United States and from all over the world gathered in Washington, DC from January 6-8, 2012 to attend the highly anticipated third annual Kurdish Youth Festival. The three-day event offered fun and educational programs on the Kurdish heritage, and also utilized the advantages of holding the event in the country’s capital by offering attendees a guided tour through Washington, DC to learn about the history of the United States. Nearly two thousand attended the festival while many others were able to participate in the event online through Twitter and the event’s live stream. The festival provided a unique networking opportunity and also served as a platform for young Kurds to exchange their ideas and experiences. The three-day event built upon a shared vision to unite the dispersed Kurdish populations in the U.S. and around the world.
In the evening of the first day, the Kurdish Youth Festival in DC officially commenced with a film screening and film competition. The screening featured the film, Bekas, by Kurdish Oscar Student Academy Award winner Karzan Kader, about two young homeless boys who want to escape the misery of their war-torn Kurdish homeland under Saddam Hussein’s occupation. The film received tremendously positive feedback with many audience members breaking out in both tears and laughter.
Following the feature film screening, the film competition began showcasing short films from young up-and-coming filmmakers including Mr. Bedirhan Sakci, Ms. Serhat Karaaslan, Mr. Mehmet Nuri Chetin, Mr. Keywan Karimi, and Mr. Sarbast Raza Garmiany. The short film that won first prize was A Day in the North by Kurdish director Mr. Juma Hamdo. The film was a heart-wrenching story about the experiences of Kurdish women living in Syria’s Kurdistan region.
Festival hosts, Mr. Minhaj Akreyi and Ms. Sarah Yousif, later presented two young Kurdish students with scholarship awards for their essay submissions on how to distinguish between and reconcile their Kurdish and American identities in daily life. The submissions by Mr. Afsheen Sharifzadeh and Ms. Rezzan Hekmat were chosen among twenty-five others. They were each awarded $1000.00 to foster their educational goals.
The first night of the festival concluded with an interactive and educational trivia game hosted by KurdSat television’s Ms. Lawen Azad. Questions covered everything from Kurdish history to Kurdish music. Selected participants in opposing teams were asked to identify lyrics to Kurdish music or to identify Kurdish notables based on the hints presented to them. The festival organizers also provided a live video stream for online participants and responded to their questions and comments via Twitter and Facebook. Kurds from Australia, Europe, Kurdistan, and all over the United States who wanted to attend this event but could not travel to Washington, DC were able to participate remotely.
The morning of January 7th opened with a series of panels and round-table discussions designed to engage attendees in constructive discussions and debates about Kurdish social issues. The first panel featured the renowned American linguist and cataloguer of Middle Eastern languages, Dr. Michael L. Chyet, Assistant Director of The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona, Mr. Christian Sinclair and Kurdistan Regional Government Representative, Mr. Amanj Yarwaessi. The panel focused on whether a unified language for the two major Kurdish dialects is practical.
The next two panels were specifically focused on Kurdish social issues. These panels included a discussion on “Generational Gap” and “Community Concerns” and featured Dr. Kajal Rahmani from Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Civilization, Kurdish National Congress of North America president Dr. Kamal Artin, and Kurdish American Youth Organization LA Chapter president, Mr. Ranj Zuhdi. Audience members were fully engaged in these discussions as they split up into different groups and discussed various issues amongst themselves to present to the entire audience.
Discussions focused on everything from taboos imposed on Kurdish women to the various obstacles preventing unity among Kurdish community members. Despite the vast number of issues being addressed, common conclusions on how to resolve these issues were reached by attendees.
The day’s program ended with a final panel entitled, “From the Mountains to Twitter,” which included a series of presentations on activism through social networking. The main idea that inspired the panel is the community outreach that has been made possible through various online social media tools. Many festival attendees said they were at the event after hearing about it through Twitter or Facebook. Furthermore, many participated in the festival remotely through these online mediums. The panel included young Kurdish activists, Ms. Aida Aliyeva, Mr. Emrah Usar, Mr. Sirwan Kajjo, and Mr. Karwan Zebari. The panel concluded with spoken word poet, Ms. Cklara Moradian, who presented her piece, “Art is Resistance.” Ms. Moradian’s words were incredibly moving and the message she conveyed left a lasting impression on both audience members and many of those watching the festival online.
After a break in the evening, the night began with a monodrama performance by Mr. Sarkaut Taro. His creative performance addressed controversial social issues. Following his performance, a lengthy discussion began between Mr. Taro and audience members about the various issues he brought to light through his performance. After the discussion, Ms. Akhtar Waise recited a beautiful poem about Kurdistan, which led to a standing ovation.
Following the performances, the festival’s annual art auction showcased various pieces inspired by Kurdish heritage and culture. Artwork by Kurdish artists, Mr. Lukman Ahmed, Mr. Bekir Orhan, and Mr. Ayad Almissouri, were highly appreciated by attendees as evident by the high bids placed on each item. The night ended with the festival’s annual “Kurds Got Talent” contest where young Kurdish artists from a variety of talents — including music, comedy, and poetry — were able to perform for the audience. Similar to previous years, the competition featured judges that would offer feedback and ratings to each of the participants. Audience members were also allowed to vote for their favorite performance. Kae Kurd’s comedic performance shook the hall with laughter. Kae Kurd, who traveled all the way from London to attend the festival, walked away with a round-trip ticket to Kurdistan!
The third and final day of the festival, January 8th, was different from previous festivals. This year, festival attendees were offered a chance to learn more about American history and heritage with a tour of Washington, DC. Buses picked up attendees and offered them a view of the nation’s capital before stopping at the White House for pictures. Attendees were later taken to the American History Museum, also described as the most popular section of the Smithsonian, to learn about the history of the country. Buses also took attendees to the National Mall, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial. In addition, attendees were greeted and offered a special tour of the offices of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Representation in the US.
After returning to the hotel, attendees got ready for the grand finale at the Waterford Receptions in Springfield, Virginia for a night of Kurdish music and dancing. Many attendees dressed in their most beautiful traditional Kurdish clothing from the various regions of Kurdistan.
At the start of the grand finale, the festival’s sponsors including Asiacell, the first mobile telecommunications company in Iraq and the festival’s first ever diamond level sponsor, Senk Group (a gold sponsor), Pinnacle Web Services (a silver sponsor), and (bronze sponsors) Kurdish National Congress of North America, Kurdish Youth of America-KYA, Kurdish Youth Club-KYC, Kurdish American Youth Organization-KAYO, American Kurdish Council-AKC, Millennium Brokerage Firm, and Green Kurdistan were thanked for their generous donations and contributions.
The night began with a tribute speech to the late Kurdish singer Dler, by his sister Sarah Yousif. The night continued with a performance by the renowned Kurdish dengbej performer, Delil Dilanar. Performances by famous Kurdish singers Rekesh Seyrani and Emir Hesen prompted dancing by the party’s attendees. The distinguished musical guests created a vibrant environment in the grand finale that could not have been a more suitable conclusion to such a successful three days.
Visit the official website of the Kurdish Youth Festival for more information on past festivals as well as upcoming festivals.
