5th Osman Sabri Literature Festival awards four writers

The 5th Osman Sabri Literature Festival, organized by the Jazira Region Culture Committee and the Northern and Eastern Syria Literature Committee in memory of Kurdish politician and literary scholar Osman Sabri, was delayed by two months this year due to the coronavirus epidemic and the invading Turkish state’s massacre against the Gulo family in the neighbourhood of Hileliyê in Qamishlo.

The members of the Jazira Region Intellectuals Union, the Syrian Kurdish Writers Union and many writers and intellectuals from the Jazira region participated in the festival held at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Art Center in Qamishlo with the slogan “Revolution is the soul of literature”.

Many writers attended the festival which featured only short stories.

11 short stories were selected; 6 in Kurdish and 5 in Arabic.

After a minute’s silence, Ebdulmecid Xelef, a member of the Literature Committee, and Mariya Aho, co-chair of the Jazira Region Cultural Committee, delivered speeches.

Intellectual Beşir Mele Newaf said: “Mr. Öcalan says that a life without literature and art is no life. Humanity is known for literature.”

After a documentary about Osman Sabri’s life, Kurdish and Arabic poems and stories were read. A play called Jiyan was also performed and then the opera singer, Mizgin Tahir, sang accompanied by the Rojava Children’s Orchestra group.

Awards were given to Avesta Ibrahim, Sena Haci and Ciwan Silo, who wrote in Arabic, and Selam Hisên, who wrote short stories in Kurdish.