For Kurdish youth in the United States, 2011 began with the highly anticipated Second Annual Kurdish Youth Festival (KYF) in Dallas, Texas. The festival’s mission was to bring Kurdish youth together from all over the United States, offering them the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of programs that included the arts, dance, history, human rights and political discussions, and numerous other topics. If the number of attendees could be used as any measure of achievement, the festival was one of the most successful Kurdish events in the U.S., drawing a large number of participants from many states, as well as hundreds of audience members. This memorable three-day experience brought Kurdish youth closer together and has already helped set the tone for a brighter and more productive future.

The festival opened on the evening of Friday, January 7th, with a celebration of the arts. Introduced by the MC, Ms. Delal Pektas, the first event featured paintings, depicting various Kurdish subjects, from a number of young artists, including Mr. Ayad Almissouri, Ms. Avin Shiro, and Ms. Xende Mustafa. Audience members were then invited to vote for their favorite piece from among those being displayed. The winner of this art competition, Mr. Ayad Almissouri, was awarded a gift by the KYF organizers.

Following the art competition was a showing of the award-winning Kurdish short film, Berf, by director and writer Mr. Erol Mintas, who was in attendance. The screening was followed by a film competition that featured short films from a number of up-and- coming filmmakers, including Ms. Beri Shalmashi’s You Know I Love You, Mr. Apo Welatparez’s Homeland, Ms. Chiman Rahimi’s Rojîn, Mr. Raibar Chener’s My Way, and Ms. Behar Godani’s and Mr. Hakim Shammo’s Kurdistan: The American Lens. Some films focused on Kurdish issues, while others covered broader social issues. By audience vote, first prize was awarded to student film director Mr. Apo Welatparez, whose film, Homeland, tells a story about the partitioning of Kurdistan.

The first day of the festival concluded with a solo dramatic performance by Mr. Sarkaut Taro. Taro performed a self-written play, “Pakize,” that was both a humorous and darkly captivating story about the sale of Kurdish girls to other countries during the Kurdish genocide in Saddam’s Iraq. Taro’s play received a standing ovation and was highly acclaimed by the audience members.

The morning of January 8th opened with a series of panels and workshops that engaged the audience in discussions and debates. The first panel, simply entitled, “Politics,” was introduced by Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO) Director Mr. Rebaz Qaradaghi and included a number of prominent intellectuals, including professor and political scientist Dr. David Romano, well-known author and journalist Ms. Aliza Marcus, and expert in International and Middle East Studies, Mr. Benjamin Kweskin. This informative panel focused on the political situation of Kurds in the Middle East and what the future may hold.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Jeremy Courtney of the Preemptive Love Coalition, an organization that helps provide heart surgeries for children in Iraq, spoke about his experiences in Iraq, particularly Kurdistan, where his organization operates, and presented audience members with internship prospects with his organization.

Following a lunch break, a workshop about community mobilization and civic participation was introduced by KAYO National Advisor and freelance writer Mr. Goran Z. Sadjadi. The workshop included short discussions by policy coordinator with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Ms. Remziya Suleyman, KAYO National President, Mr. Nezar Ahmed, and Mr. Kocher Arslan, representative of the Kurdish Youth Club (KYC) and director for the Kurdish Community Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The audience was broken up into several groups for this workshop and each group was presented with a question about community mobilization, which they proceeded to discuss among themselves. Finally, the groups presented their thoughts, ideas and conclusions to the rest of the audience.

Next, KAYO National VP Mr. Aram Torabian introduced a panel discussion about the current human rights situation for Kurds in the Middle East. The panel included a representative to the United States for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from Turkey, Mr. Sayid Riza, KAYO National Advisor and freelance writer Mr. Goran Z. Sadjadi, author and journalist Ms. Aliza Marcus, and freelance writer and activist Mr. Sirwan Kajjo. The panel focused on Kurdish issues in Turkey, Iran, and Syria, highlighted the various ongoing human rights violations in the respective countries and how audience members could get involved in activist work.

The day concluded with Mr. Guevara Lindholm, who presented an opportunity being provided by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for young Kurdish students of the Diaspora to spend their summer in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The selected candidates for the “Kurdistan Project” will be receiving an all-expense-paid trip to the Kurdistan Region, where they will be provided with a unique experience of life in the region.

Late that evening, the festival reconvened with KYF’s own hallmark “Kurds Got Talent” competition. This annual competition features live performances from young Kurdish artists, including self-composed songs and poetry readings. The young performers included spoken word poet Ms. Aruza Hasan, Kurdish poets Ms. Peri Shushi and Mr. Minhaj Akreyi, up-and-coming Kurdish singers Mr. Pasha Serrac, Ms. Trifa Bajalan and Mr. Burak Aydin, Kurdish musicians Mr. Meriwan Sherwani and Mr. Ferman Sherwani, Kurdish tembur player Mr. Melevan Tovi, and an exhibition by Kurdish fashion designer Ms. Rujin Tovi. This year’s contest judges included award-winning film director Mr. Erol Mintas and Kurdish musician and poet Mr. Nardin Baban, who each provided commentary in both Kurmanci and Sorani, while also submitting their own votes to be counted among those of the audience. After wonderful performances that brought audience members to their feet, Ms. Trifa Bajalan came in first place, winning a free trip to the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The second and third prizes were awarded to Ms. Aruza Hasan and Ms. Rujin Tovi, respectively.

The “Kurds Got Talent” event concluded with Kurdish song and dance, led by first prize winner Ms. Trifa Bajalan, along with several other musicians.

The final day, January 9th, opened with two panel discussions. The first panel, entitled “Kurdish Society,” was introduced by American Kurdish Council Director Mr. Azad Sameen. The panel included Kurdish National Congress President Dr. Kamal Artin, a young journalist who recently provided journalistic training to youth in Kurdistan, Ms. Tracy Fuad, and Assistant Director of The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona, Mr. Christian Sinclair. Panel members discussed the recent developments and the outstanding problems facing Kurdish societies in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The second and final panel of the festival entitled “Kurdish Women,” introduced by KYC Representative Mr. Alan Muhealden, started off with a monologue written and performed by spoken word poet and human rights activist Ms. Cklara Moradian, who told the story of a Kurdish girl who refused to remain silent despite the hardships surrounding her. The next speaker, Ms. Delene Almissouri of the Kurdish Human Rights Watch, focused on the issues concerning women in Kurdish society, including honor killings and FGM. Ms. Aida Aliyeva, a PhD candidate at UC Riverside, presented an interesting discussion on the organized Kurdish community in Kazakhstan and their relations with Kurds in Kurdistan.

The festival wrapped up with a lively celebration that featured Kurdish singer Ms. Nidar Kestey, followed by a performance by Kurdish singer Mr. Foad Naraghi. The singers were accompanied by live musicians Mr. Meriwan Sherwani, Mr. Ferman Sherwani, and Mr. Pola Haidary. The nighttime event also included a number of special prizes for attendees and festival participants. The two winners of the KYF Scholarship Writing Competition were Ms. Chinar Fattah and Mr. Mohammed Hesen. The scholarship awards were announced by MC Mr. Rebin Kawani and presented to the two winners by KYF organizers Mr. Nezar Ahmed and Ms. Nuha Serrac. A raffle was also announced and Botan Fatah was awarded the prize of a free round-trip to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. KYF sponsors including Chobani Yogurt, SENK Group, Sub Assembly Group, Millennium Brokerage Firm, Alan Auto Sales, and the MidEastYouth were also thanked for their generous contributions that helped to make the festival happen.

The celebration lasted throughout the night, as attendees, many in traditional Kurdish clothing, danced to the music and sounds of Kestey and Naraghi. Many youth described the three-day experience as an inspirational and uplifting one that helped reinforce a feeling of indivisibility among Kurdish people across the U.S. and throughout the world. The events were also described as being constructive and educational, providing the grounds for valuable discussions and the sharing of ideas.

Ultimately, the Kurdish community’s youth was able to reaffirm and further strengthen its vision of what it can achieve, broadly expressing a desire to do even greater things in the near future.

The Kurdish Youth Festival (KYF) was organized by the independent organizations, the 501(c)(3) Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO), the Kurdish Youth Club (KYC), and the California Kurdish Community Center (CKCC) and included a number of young individuals from the Kurdish communities in the United States of America.

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Visit the official website of the Kurdish Youth Festival at www.kurdishyouthfestival.org