Around 90 kilometers north of Sina, Divandarreh, is home to 80 thousand people, the majority of which live in the rural areas and keep themselves busy with farming and livestock herding.
On the other hand, there is the entertainers, most of which work in the comedy sector in Sina’s television and radio stations, pursuing their dreams and concerning themselves with organizing such events.
“The cities in Kurdistan province each have their own identity, and due to the fact that there are many comedians in Divandarreh and there’s a positive reception from the people, we are trying to make this city the center of comedy theater,” said Hussein Moradi, an organizer of the event and well known comedian, told Rudaw English on Sunday.
While Divandarreh has comedy, the other cities of Kurdistan express their artistic creativity in other forms, with Saqqez being home to Kurdish theater and Mariwan hosting annual street theater festivals.
The festival has also provided a platform for talented female entertainers to display their prowess in front of the audience.
“When I first started doing theater, it was an example of breaking the social norms,” said Chro Kargar who’s been practicing comedy theater for the past eleven years.
“My hobby was theater, and I wanted to become a successful theater actress. That’s why I had to pass through an extremely challenging path and battle the closed-mindedness of the society, until I could convince my family and the community that theater is not only for men,” she added.
After the pandemic disrupted most of Iran’s artistic expression, activities and festivals are starting to return to their natural course, and are becoming a source of escape for those who struggled the most during COVID.
“People are thirsty for rest and are seeking an escape from that tragedy [the pandemic] and this festival has the power to provide an escape from the hardships,” Qani Niknafs, who lost his father due to the coronavirus, told Rudaw English while attending the festival.
The fifth comedy theater festival started on Saturday and concluded on Monday.
