On the evening of Saturday 6 April 2024, the activities of the Fourth Annual Syriac Heritage Festival, which was organised by the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts’ Syriac Heritage and Museum Directorate, concluded with great success amid a distinguished public presence, at its usual location opposite the ancient Qasra Mound in the heart of Erbil Governorate’s Ankawa District.
The last day of its activities began with an operetta titled “Akhnan Kulleh Athra” (We are all the Homeland), written by Nineb Lamasu and composed by Nabil Yousif, followed by folkloric dance performances presented by the Sargon Folkloric Dance Ensemble coming from Armenia and the Syriac Barmaya Ensemble coming from Qamishli, Syria, in addition to the Syriac Arts Ensemble affiliated with the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The festival’s third day included a number of speeches, which began with a speech by the Acting US Consul General in Erbil, Ms. Pamela Hack, in which she praised the role of the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts in holding this festival. She also offered congratulations to our people on the occasion of the Akitu and National New Year holidays, stressing the continued support of the Syriac Heritage Museum in digitising its assets and documents.
Then, the Director General of Syriac Culture and Arts, Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna, delivered a speech in which he affirmed that, “our people are alive and will not die. It is our duty to defy circumstances and not bow down, as we have been the children of this land for thousands of years into the depths of history,” noting that, “this people, despite all the persecutions to which it is exposed, rises again because it is a people that loves life and living in peace with other nations that surround it.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Oghanna expressed his thanks and appreciation for the role of the General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts’ cadres and employees in organising this festival, and also appreciated the role of governmental, Church and community agencies in supporting and encouraging it.
Director of Syriac Heritage and Museum Bernard Youssef also gave a speech in which he stressed that our people’s religious and national celebrations combine with each other every year, as Akitu, a symbol of renewal and spring, coincides with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, symbolising new life.
The last day of the festival witnessed the distribution of awards of appreciation to the official supporters and sponsors of the festival, and its activities included the presentation of singing performances in which a number of our people’s artists participated, including Barsin Aprim, Zuhair Sliwa, Madlen Ishoeva and Philip William. These witnessed active participation from the audience present in performing folkloric dances.
The closing ceremony of the festival was attended by the Acting US Consul General in Erbil, Ms. Pamela Hack, and the Development Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr. Christopher Lafarge.
It is worth noting that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts has been organising a Syriac heritage festival in April every year, during which various heritage and popular events are held, in addition to the heritage bazaar that is open throughout the days of the festival, the fourth edition of which was held this year during the period of 4 to 6 April 2024.
