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Third Annual Kurdish Youth Festival in
America Meets New Levels of Success
31.1.2012
By Kurdish Youth Festival
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ekurd.net |
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January
31, 2012
WASHINGTON, — 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,www.ekurd.net
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 at http://www.kurdishyouthfestival.org/ for
more information on past festivals as well as
upcoming festivals.
Copyright © 2012 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
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