Culture
Vendors prepare to display their products at the first diplomatic friendship bazaar in Erbil on May 28, 2021. Photo: Layal Shakir/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Erbil on Friday hosted the first “diplomatic friendship bazaar” organized by the Consulate General of the Czech Republic, aiming to strengthen ties between the local Kurdish community and consulates in the Kurdistan Region’s capital.
The event gave local entrepreneurs the chance to display and sell their products.
Eight consulates participated in the event, including India, Romania, China, Armenia, Greece, Canada and Sri Lanka, along with 28 local vendors. The friendship bazaar was held at the Czech Academic City.
Intira Thepsittawiwat, the wife of the Czech consul general in the Kurdistan Region, told Rudaw the event was not about socializing, but forging ties with the local community.
“It’s about the friendship among consulates extended to locals,” she said. “I cannot do it only for consulates, it’s not enough, so let’s get more participants by making friendship with the people of Kurdistan. That’s the idea of the bazaar.”
Intira is herself the owner of Intimade, a non-profit project to make handmade face masks in the Kurdistan Region. She donates 100 percent of her profits to planting trees.
“I like it when events like this happen, especially when young startups have a place they can showcase their products, and also for free without being charged for their stands,” said Lanah Haddad, an archaeologist and game developer from Erbil, who said she has previously participated in five local bazaar events.
Haddad has developed a game called Urbium – an Assyrian board game, created in 2019, that aims to revive Mesopotamian heritage with creative and educational projects.
Chawan Abuljabar, the owner of the perfume brand “Mang”, the Kurdish word for moon, also participated in the event with her son.
She said her love for perfume and Kurdish perfume brands prompted her to start the label.
“When I went to other countries I saw there were perfumes from every country except Kurdistan,” she said. “There was nothing that was Kurdish.”
Abduljabar is originally from Sulaimani, but she plans to extend her business, which she started last year, to Germany.
Lori Arabo, a customer from Qamishli, said she hoped there would be similar events in the future, not "just once a year."
“There is art in everything, they’re traditional and very unique,” she said of the bazaar. “I like everything I’m looking at here.”
Customer Nahida Omer says she attended the event to “support local businesses and products.”
“I hope we have more in the future because we have a lot of innovative people,” she said. “It was different from others. This way, we can connect more with foreigners so we can also send our products outside of Kurdistan.”
Czech Consul General Michal Svoboda said the consulate aimed to support “local businesses, young entrepreneurs who are striving to do better, who are trying to improve and expand their businesses.”
“I’m sure that once the economy of Kurdistan Region will be diversified there’ll be bigger businesses, they’ll be having products which they can compete on European markets or markets in Czechia and other countries.”
“There is great potential here for growth in many fields, in the economic field but also in other areas,” he added.
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