On November 29–30, the General Directorate of Culture and Art in Slemani organized the first scientific forum on cultural policy under the slogan “Culture as a Savior.” The event was held under the patronage of Mr. Hama Hama Saeed, Minister of Culture and Youth, and sponsored by the Gardeen Group, featuring several panels and various other cultural activities.
At the opening of the forum, a plastic arts exhibition by artist Bayan Majeed was inaugurated. The exhibition featured several paintings with themes revolving around ancient Kurdish culture, heritage, and authenticity, representing a blend of tradition and antiquity with modernity and contemporary styles.
Over the two days of the forum, six panels were presented. In four of these panels, 16 researchers and university professors from cities across the Kurdistan Region, Eastern Kurdistan, and Europe presented 14 scientific papers covering cultural policy, nation-building, media, film, cinema and criticism, literature and culture, identity and nationalism, artificial intelligence, and educational language. All presentations analyzed dimensions related to culture and cultural policy in a scientific and objective manner, submitting several recommendations and proposals to the Ministry of Culture and relevant institutions.
The remaining two panels featured the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Region, the Governor of Slemani, and the Director General of Youth at the Ministry of Culture, alongside the heads of the Sardam Printing and Publishing House, the Rwanga Foundation, the Mukryan Agency, and the Zheen Center. These panels fostered serious and objective discussions regarding “Government institutions’ attention to cultural policy” and “The role and perspective of cultural agencies and centers regarding cultural policy.”
Throughout all the panels, serious and objective dialogues took place between the panelists, researchers, and attendees, reaffirming everyone’s commitment to the significance of the forum and the need to prioritize the subject of cultural policy.
In conclusion, awards of appreciation were presented to the researchers, panelists, and panel moderators, as well as to the Gardeen Group as the sponsor of the forum.
