Nujin preserves Kurdish culture by dancing halay, singing songs
8-year-old Nûjin Şen, known for dancing halay and singing in the Martyr Rustem Cudi Camp (Makhmour Refugee Camp), wants to preserve Kurdish culture and be a good teacher in the future.
NÛPELDA DENİZ
Makhnour- Kurdish culture is a rich culture with its dengbej (Kurdish storytellers) and folklore. This culture exists today thanks to people paying heavy prices while passing down this culture to next generations. Kurdish families teach their children their culture when their children are very young.
8-year-old Nûjin Şen’s family is one of these families living in the Martyr Rustem Cudi Camp (Makhmour Refugee Camp). People of all ages participate in cultural activities in the camp to preserve Kurdish culture.
When you walk around in the camp, you can see children singing Kurdish songs or dancing halay. On special days, you can see people, women, mothers and children dancing halay. Children participating in folklore groups fascinate people with their performances.
She started dancing halay at the age of 5
Nûjin Şen, a 8-year-old girl living in the camp, is well-known in the camp for her amazing dance performances. When she was five, she took the stage for the first time as a member of her school folklore group during celebrations on April 4, the birthday of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Since then, she has been a member of folklore groups. As a NuJINHA team, we visited her at the Stêra Zêrîn Culture and Art Center in the camp. She welcomed us by singing a Kurdish song.
‘I feel happy whenever I dance halay’
“One of our teachers told us that those who wanted to participate in the school folklore group had to write their names on the list. I was chosen as a member of the group because I danced halay very well. Then, I attended halay and erbane (a musical instrument) courses at the Stêra Zêrîn Culture and Art Center. I want to learn how to play saz (a string musical instrument) next year. I love dancing halay because I feel happy whenever I dance halay.”
While we were talking with her, she told us that she wanted to sing a song and dedicated the song to Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. At the end of her speech, Nûjin told us that she wanted to preserve Kurdish culture and be a good teacher in the future.