HÊVİ EZDA

Shengal (Sinjar)- Sitiya Nexşa is a music community formed in Shengal a year ago in order to support cultural and artistic activities of Yazidi women. Having musical and folklore groups, the community formed a child musical group called “Kulîlkên Êzîdxanê” and a women’s musical group called, “Hêviyên jinên Şengalê” in 2023. Achieving significant success in a year, the community has released a video showing Yazidis’ traditional folk dances. NuJINHA spoke to Nidal Qasi and Xezal Xero appearing in the video.

‘We highlight Yazidi holy places in the video’

Nîdal Qasî has performed folk dances for about three years. “The main aim of the video is to preserve and promote Yazidis’ traditional folk dances and clothes. We highlight Yazidi holy places in the video. We have many projects to shoot new videos in the future. Most Yazidi youth do not know how to perform traditional folk dances. Through this video, we show them how to perform their traditional folk dances.”

‘It was a big step for us’

Xezal Xêro, a member of the community, told us that they have made great efforts to shoot the video since March 8, 2023. “Shooting this video was a big step for us because it brought a group of young women together. Before women did not have such groups in Shengal but Sitiya Nexşa has formed musical and folklore groups. The clothes and the dances in the video reflect the Yazidi culture. We shot the video in different parts of Shengal so that everyone could see the Yazidi culture.”

Since the genocide…

Noting that Sitiya Nexşa has formed many groups, Xezal Xêro said, “We have a child musical group, a women’s musical group and a folklore group. We also hold courses to teach Yazidi women and children how to play musical instruments. The community is named after Sitiya Nexşan, a Yazidi woman who played saz (a musical instrument) while singing hundreds years ago. Since the genocide, we have tried to make women visible so that they can take part in all facets of life. Yazidi women play an important role in telling Yazidis, who have left their homeland, that the only way to protect themselves is not to flee from their homeland. We can protect ourselves by preserving our culture and keep it alive.”

‘We have improved ourselves thanks to Abdullah Öcalan’

Xezal Xêro thinks that the Yazidis have improved themselves thanks to the philosophy and ideology of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. “Shengal began to develop when we learned the philosophy and ideology of leader Öcalan. As the people of Shengal, we did not know anything before learning his ideology. Our child musical group is working on shooting a video containing songs about leader Apo. The women’s musical group, Hêviyên jinên Şengalê has already released a video telling the resistance of Yazidi women. We will keep resisting until women's freedom is achieved.”