The third edition of the Kurdish Cultural Festival will take place in Paris from 25 May until 1 June, offering a rich and varied programme and providing the opportunity to discover the culture of one of the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia.
This year’s festival is the continuation of the first two editions, where thousands of people were able to gain an insight into Kurdish culture. The festival, organised by the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F), will begin on Saturday 25 May, with a cultural parade including traditional Kurdish govend dancing and music, with people presenting their traditional Kurdish clothes from different regions in Kurdistan.
After the parade, an opening ceremony will take place, with speeches and a documentary about cultural practices of the Kurdish community living in Paris being shown, followed by a concert played on the traditional Kurdish frame drum instrument “Def”.
From the opening event until the 1 June, the festival will provide the opportunity for attendees to discover Kurdish culture and its rich heritage, with artistic performances, arts and crafts workshops, culinary exhibitions and discussions and activities for children taking place.
The organisers have said that they are holding this festival to “raise awareness of the threatened Kurdish culture, and to share and promote it”.
They are also highlighting that this event is also aimed at children, with a day of fun workshops to help them discover the Kurdish language, music and dance.
The final day of the festival will be crowned by a grand concert featuring well-known Kurdish artists.