What did Sulaimani's 4-day Galawezh International Festival offer Kurdish culture and literature?

"For me, it was a good chance to meet my favorite writers," Karez Ali, a local reader, told Kurdistan 24.
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

Attended by more than 200 novelists, poets, researchers, and thinkers from the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Europe, the Galawezh International Festival in Sulaimani featured various cultural and literary activities.

Awards were given for best poems and short stories at the festival. It also had several panels for discussions on literature, art, and culture in the Kurdistan Region.

The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

The 25th Galawezh Festival lasted for four days in Sulaimani.

But what did the festival offer Kurdish culture and literature?

"There was a good and a bad side to the festival," said Aras Kareem, a local literary researcher. "The good side is that the festival encouraged young voices and writers to write and get published. The bad side is that many people in the panels had nothing to do with the topics discussed. For instance, one panel was about the Kurdish language, but none of the panelists had anything to do with language."

The 25th Galawezh Festival also had other activities, including performances of plays, an art gallery and book exhibition, and a Kurdish heritage exhibition.

The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

"I enjoyed the festival, and I attended a play which didn't require a ticket, so I watched a good play for free," Avan Aziz, a resident from Sulaimani, told Kurdistan 24. "It was an amazing experience."

Readers and art lovers attended the book exhibition, and they saw paintings from artists of different backgrounds.

"After buying a few books, I headed to the art exhibition where I found great paintings by Kurdish, Arab, Persian, and international artists," said Talar Younis, an avid reader residing in Sulaimani. "The location was convenient as both exhibitions were next to each other. I had a good time."

The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

Readers met with their favorite writers and had an opportunity to get copies of their books signed. Great writers such as Atta Nahayee, Sherzad Hassan, and Nazand Bagihani were present at the book exhibition and signed copies of their books for fans.

"For me, it was a good chance to meet my favorite writers," Karez Ali, a local reader, told Kurdistan 24. "I got their signatures, and that made me so happy."

The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)
The 25th Galawezh Festival in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani, May 2022 (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

Some were more critical of certain aspects of the festival.

"I had a problem with the committees who chose the best poems," said Barzan Yassen, a poet. "Judges should excel at what they evaluate. It is impossible to evaluate poems when you have not written one poem and have never done any research into poetry."

The four-day festival also allowed researchers and critics to share their ideas and views with the writers.

"This was a great opportunity to learn from each other and better the art and literature situation in Kurdistan," said Rahman Abdi, a researcher in Iran's Bana city.