On the evening of 1 June 2022, major festivities were launched on the occasion of International Children’s Day, in continuation of the activities of the Ankawa Festival, to be a festive day for our dear children. This was organized by the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, in cooperation with the District Commissioner of Ankawa District and in coordination with community organizations, and was held at the gardens of the Social Academic Center in Ankawa.
The celebration began with a speech from the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts delivered by Ms. Vian Jalal, responsible for the Children’s Cultural Division in the Directorate. In it, she indicated the General Directorate’s interest in children, educating them, developing their talents, as well as satisfying their needs to learn, play and enjoy. Above all, she stressed the role of the family, especially fathers and mothers, through giving them adequate attention and not neglecting their role as members of the family, since the child is the basis for building a healthy family in society. She added: “Our director has always held an annual activity to celebrate Children’s Day, but this year’s event was on a larger and more distinguished scale in cooperation with the District Commissioner of Ankawa District and within the activities of the Ankawa Festival. We thus thank the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts, with all its departments and staff, for their efforts to organize and make this activity a success.”
Then the various activities began, including songs, chants and operettas in the Syriac language presented by a number of schools and kindergartens in Ankawa. The Sabis Academy for Creative Arts also participated in presenting expressive dance performances and acrobatic games, while the Ankawa Organization for Women and Children participated in presenting folk dances and a traditional fashion show for children. Children from the Youth Support and Development Organization offered ball control skills workshops, in addition to the distinguished participation of the Shimsha Acting Troupe, which presented a puppet play for children titled “The Shepherd and the Hungry Wolf” (Shivana w-Dewa Kpina), prepared and directed by Latif Noman Siawsh.
After this, the Al-Basmah volunteer team presented dancing, acting and various other activities. The festivities also included live singing by Milad, DJ tunes and many entertaining games on the sidelines of the main activities. It is noteworthy that the Directorate provided free tickets, guaranteeing the participation of every child in a number of games for free.
