Compiled by: Sahar Yaghoubi
Teams from the towns of Raqqa and Kobani kicked off the Tel Abyad Festival for Culture and Heritage on Wednesday in the village of Ain Issa, located north of Raqqa in northern Syria.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Culture Board is hosting a two-day festival in the city of Ain Issa. Entertainment consists of live performances by bands, poetry readings, and traditional dances.
An AANES delegation attended the event with local Kobane citizens and displaced people from Tel Abyad.
Following the retreat of Syrian government troops from Afrin, Kobani, and Jazira in northern Syria in 2014, the AANES was founded in these Kurdish-majority districts. Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasaka, and Deir Ez-Zor were added later following SDF victories over ISIS on the battlefield.
Festival director Zozan Mahmoud and theater festival director Hussein Khani both confirmed that this is the third festival of its sort in Tel Abyad. Before the Turkish state occupied the city, the locals used to celebrate it.
According to Mahmoud, who spoke with North Press, the festival’s primary objective is to revitalize the region’s traditional music, dance, and other forms of folk art. Turkish efforts to eradicate the culture of Tel Abyad, which the country now controls, have failed.
She emphasized the importance of the festival’s role in fostering community and preserving cultural traditions in the area.
Opening ceremonies included the Bedouin Dance, music from the “Fra” band, Raqqa, and a band from the Kobani Center, poetry readings, and performances by horses and camels in the festival plaza.
