ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An institute specializing in Kurdish-language education wrapped up its five-day book fair on Thursday in the city of Bukan, in the Kurdish region of western Iran (Rojhelat). The event focused on children's books and artwork.
Sarbakho, which translates to "independence" in Kurdish, has spent the past five years organizing exhibitions centered on literature for children. Alongside books and magazines, each fair features artwork by a young artist.
"This is the fifth year that we are organizing this Kurdish fair, collaborating with a different artist each time,” Sosan Hasanzadeh, the head of the institute, told Rudaw.
“This year, we are partnering with a very young artist, Ardalan Gholami,” she added.
Gholami is eight years old and has recently taken up painting as a hobby.
“All of my pieces are inspired by my own original ideas. This is already my second exhibition with the Sarbakho learning center,” he said.
About 80 percent of the books on display were in Kurdish, and the fair drew a strong turnout, with visitors coming from Sna (Sanandaj), Ilam, Kermanshah, and other cities across Rojhelat.
Mohammad Rasoolnia, a teacher at the institute and a short story writer, said that although they cannot have an “official council for children’s literature or children’s authors,” they can “arrange these fairs and exhibitions to help fill that gap.”
The Iranian government imposes heavy restrictions on minority languages, enforcing a strict monolingual policy that makes Persian the sole medium of formal education.
In response, groups like Sarbakho in Bukan - along with similar cultural organizations in Sna, Saqqez, and Mahabad - fund and host local Kurdish literacy classes for children and youth.
Zhila Assad contributed to this article.
