Tehran cultural center spotlights Kurdish art

TEHRAN,June 25(MNA) -- Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center is currently playing host to groups of Kurdish people presenting various forms of arts common in the Iranian Kurdish regions during a festival. First Vice President Mohammadreza Rahimi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Hamid Shahabadi, the Kordestan Province governor general and a number of other Iranian officials attended the opening ceremony of the five-day festival on Saturday, the cultural center announced in a press release. Collections of artworks and handicrafts have been put on display in open-air exhibitions and the galleries of the cultural center. Several Kurdish folk bands are scheduled to perform concerts and dances during the festival. In addition, a number of theatrical troupes are to perform several Kurdish folk stories. All musical and theatrical performances begin at 7 p.m. every day. The organizers plan to pay tribute to several Kurdish artists during the event. The provinces of Kermanshah, Ilam and Kordestan are the main centers of the Iranian Kurdish population. Iran plans to organize similar festivals for other Iranian provinces in some foreign countries, Culture Minister Hosseini said during the opening ceremony.