WATCH: Second international Daf festival draws criticism for lack of female participation

The festival sees hundreds of Daf players participating in an effort to promote their city as the Daf playing capital of the world.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Sanandaj (Sine), the capital of the Kurdistan Province in western Iran, hosted the country’s ‘One Thousand Daf’ festival for the second time, where over a thousand players gather to perform with the Persian-origin frame drum called ‘Daf.’

The festival sees children ranging from 4 years of age to those in their golden age coming together to play the Daf and sing traditional songs.

“One Thousand Daf is an international festival in which we want to show the musical prowess of the people of Kurdistan to the entire world,” a participant in the festival told Kurdistan 24.

Thousands of instrumentalists gathered to play in unison and sing in the Mosque of Dar al-Ihsan in Sine (pronounced as Sna).

The Iranian province of Kurdistan held the international ‘One Thousand Dafs’ festival in another attempt to promote the city as the capital of Daf playing in the world.

For this year’s festival, a group consisting of at least 100 people joined from each city in the Kurdistan Province. In total, 1360 players from across the province participated in the cultural phenomenon.

This year's festival, unfortunately, was a male-only event. Since it was held in a Mosque, the organizers could not allow women to enter and perform with their fellow Daf players.

In contrast, the 2016 festival had both men and women playing side by side, with traditional outfits and songs in full, colorful display.

The decision sparked complaints and criticism from female Daf players, civil rights activists, and the instrument’s players alike who view the experience as one building bridges and bringing people from all walks of life closer together in Sine. 

The city is the capital of Kurdistan Province in Iran. The province is not to be confused with Greater Kurdistan, as a national concept, or the Kurdistan Region that lies in Iraq.

Editing by Nadia Riva

(Kamil Bokani contributed to this report)