2nd Kobani Literary Festival concludes in Syria’s Kobani
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The second edition of the Kobani Literary Festival concluded on Tuesday at the Baqi Khedo Center for Culture and Art in the city of Kobani, northern Syria.
On Nov. 12, the second edition of the festival, which was named after Kurdish poet Faqir Ahmad, was launched under the theme “For the word that has not been uttered yet, we are here.”
Ahmad Dalli, the festival director, stated to North Press that the festival’s activities and events, which lasted for three days, included discussion sessions on various key topics.
He added that the first day of the festival focused on the topic of translation into the Kurdish language to explore the cultures of other peoples.
On the second day, the focus was on books published by the Organization of Kurdish Language (SZK) concerning the standardization of Kurdish grammar rules and terminology.
On the third day, the focus shifted towards the efforts of the region’s residents in collecting and preserving Kurdish folkloric and literary heritage.
He added that the festival was accompanied by a book fair throughout the three days, with the participation of five publishing houses from northern and eastern Syria, in addition to a book signing ceremony.
Dalli further stated that the festival also included readings of short stories and poetry in both Arabic and Kurdish languages.
He noted that the final day of the festival featured the announcement of the winners of the short story and poetry competitions in both Arabic and Kurdish languages. The winners were awarded as part of the event.
Dalli pointed out that the festival’s closing ceremony included honoring two people who have played a significant role in literary production. They are folklore researcher Saleh Haido from the town of Amuda, in west of the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, for his role and activities in collecting Kurdish heritage and folklore, and Dr. Khalil Abdi from Kobani for his role and contribution to literature.