The 6th Sara Women Festival will take place in Zurich on Sunday 16 June. Sara was the codename of Sakine Cansız.
The Festival is dedicated to Sakine Cansız, a founding member of the PKK who was murdered in Paris on 9 January 2013 together with two other Kurdish women politicians, Fidan Dogan, and Leyla Saylemez.
The festival is organized by the Kurdish Women’s Union of Switzerland and is joined by many different organizations.
The preparations for the Festival are underway and the event is becoming more international every passing year.
The National Women’s Strike, which will take place in Switzerland on 14 June, makes the festival more important than in other years. One of the main aims for dozens of women organizations is to show through the festival the resistance of women not just in Switzerland and Kurdistan but around the world.
The program of the festival is still being prepared but it will offer many different events. During the day there will be many panels and seminars on women and jineoloji, while the evening will offer concerts and cultural activists. The Kurdish culture will be presented in the Kurdish tent and Dengbejler will perform their stran (songs). One of the important sections of the festival will be special programs for children. The festival will also introduce the JINWAR women’s village project in Rojava. During the day of the festival, artists Pınar Aydınlar, Nuarin, Zhala Shar, Kimbo Sasa will take the stage as well as many dance groups.
Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Medya Botan, from the Kurdish Women Movement called on all women to join the festival.
The organizations taking place at the festival are:
Swiss Kurdish Women’s Union, Socialist Women’s Union (SBP), New Women, Mor Verein, Frauen lesben kasama, Basta, SP, AL, Aufbau, Purple Red Collective, Fraunbündnis, European Democratic Women’s Movement, TEV-ÇAND, CONGRESS-STAR , Frauengruppe Medico International, Solifonds Zürich, Campus Witches, FIST, GRÜNE, Revolionares, Queer Feministisches Bündnis Basel, Labyrinthplatz, Frauencafe, FEDA, Zurich-Amed Brotherhood Bridge, Weltrauenkonferenz
