ŞINYAR BAYÎZ

Sulaymaniyah - The theater is one of the oldest arts in human history, more than two thousand years old. World Theatre Day (WTD) World Theatre Day was initiated in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) founded in 1948 by theatre and dance experts and UNESCO.

Since 1962, March 27 is celebrated as World Theatre Day. Theater spread to Europe in the 18th century. In Kurdistan, poet Goran was the first person to use the stage dialect in his poems Firmêsk and Huner in the 1950s. The theater has an important place among Kurds. The history of the Kurdish theater dates back to the 20th century. The theatre play Mem û Zîn was performed about 300 years ago. The history of the theater in the Federal Kurdistan Region dates back a century ago but the theater is not given due importance anymore in the region.

“The government does not care about the theater”

Rubar Ahmed, a teacher and a scriptwriter, spoke to NuJINHA to mark World Theatre Day. Stating that the theater is not given due importance anymore, she said, “World Theatre Day doesn’t pass at the desired level in the Kurdistan region and in Sulaymaniyah, the city of literature and culture. The theatre players are left unsupported. No one supports them. Governments don’t care about art at all. The theatre players try to give their messages under difficult conditions. Now, we have enough players and directors but not support.”

“Art relaxes your mind and body”

Emphasizing the importance of theater, Rubar Ahmed said, “The Minister of Education told us, ‘We can help you if you demand a budget for a theatre stage’. Theater conveys the right message to the audience. People love to see the truth in art. People always read about femicides, the worsening economic, social, and political situation. Art relaxes your mind and body and sometimes produces solutions to problems. It has a significant impact on human psychology. More importance should be given to theater so that political, cultural and artistic problems can be solved by art.”

“The theatre should be always independent”

Dalya Fazıl thinks the main reason why the theater is not given importance is the ruling party. “Art and other things in the Federal Kurdistan Region should not be dependent on the government, they should be independent. The art of theater has a direct impact on the audience and then makes changes in society,” she said.

Kurde Mecid called on the young people to give more importance to art and added, “Theater reflects the truth. Theater should be given more importance.”