Erbil to kick off 12th Freedom and Newroz Festival

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's Erbil province will begin the 12th Freedom and Newroz Festival, which celebrates the Newroz feast and commemorates Erbil's liberation on Friday. 

"Tomorrow, which marks the 31st anniversary of Erbil's liberation, we will kick off the 12th Freedom and Newroz Festival," Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told a press conference on Thursday. "The festival includes 23 different activities with the participation of numerous artists and singers." 

Khoshnaw thanked the festival organizers for their hard work on the preparations and pointed out that Erbil's security offices have taken all the required measures to ensure the festival will be safe and secured. 

The festival will begin on Friday with the laying of the foundation stone of the Khaja Bawa statue and ends in the afternoon of March 20. 

The festival was not held in recent years due to COVID-19. 

On March 11, 1991, the residents of Erbil revolted against the brutal Baathist regime. With the support of Peshmerga, they seized control of their city. 

Khaja Bawa, who is having a new statue built in her honor, was a heroic Kurdish woman from Erbil who ignited the March 11, 1991, uprising in Erbil. She was the first who came onto the street and called on the city's residents to revolt. Thousands of Erbil residents heeded her call and took to the streets to reclaim their city.

She was shot in the hand while leading a crowd of protesters. This did not stop her. However, she was later shot dead by a sniper while standing on the roof of the Erbil governor's office. She is remembered and honored to this day for her heroic resistance.