Kurdish Music Collective Berlin: End of 2025 celebration

The program will open with the feature-length documentary “Dengbêjên Me”, directed by Ali Bagdu. The film portrays the last Dengbêjs of this generation, offering an intimate view of the daily lives, voices and memories of these singing storytellers. The film explores the Kurdish oral tradition that has been passed down through generations, and which documents a cultural heritage that is now at risk of disappearing. 

After the screening, Bagdu will join us for a talk and a Q&A with the audience. The program will continue with a panel discussion featuring Cewad Marwani, author of the renowned Kurdish music book collection Stranên Arşîva Radyoya Erîvanê. Together we will explore different stages of his life and the struggles he faced while collecting Kurdish songs from many regions around the world.  

After lunch, Music For Identity will present an overview of the Kurdish Music Collective Berlin. We will share what we have achieved this year and present our plans for the coming year. The concert of the Kurdish Music Collective Berlin in which more than thirty musicians, including trainers and participants from our workshops, will follow. The performances will include songs from various Kurdish regions, shaped collectively through participatory music making. 

The evening will conclude with an open DJ dance floor in the atrium where everyone is invited to dance Kurdish Govend dances and celebrate. 

Program Overview

14:00  –  Film Screening “Dengbêjên Me” OV with English subtitles (70 min), Auditorium

15:10  –  Talk and Q&A with the director Ali Bagdu 

15:40  –  Break

16:00  –  Panel with Cewad Marwani, Auditorium 

17:00  –  Break

18:30  –  Presentation by Music For Identity gUG & Kurdish Music Collective Berlin, Atrium 

19:00  –  Kurdish Music Collective Berlin Concert, Atrium 

20:00  –  Open DJ Dance Floor, Atrium 

21:30  –  End