Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, in a message to the 13th Iranian Folk Music Festival, wrote: “Regional music is one of the most expressive and obvious manifestations of cultural diversity and pluralism in Iran.”
He added that Iranians have preserved this diversity through their music and songs.
He said, “Culture in our country is inextricably linked with the attitudes and beliefs of the people, while various vicissitudes in the historical course of this country have shaped cultural diversity and pluralism as one of the most important indicators of Islamic Iran.”
The Iranian Folk Music Festival is an event that emphasizes the necessity and significance of cultural and musical resources of different regions of Iran, Salehi noted.
The event is being held in a hybrid (online and in-person) form in accordance with the requirements of the current situation and limitations caused by the coronavirus.
The minister added that holding such an event, on the one hand, indicates the diversity of the country’s customs and, on the other hand, is a sign of unity and solidarity.
The theme and focus of this edition of the music festival is reading poetic quatrains, which is performed by artists from different regions of Iran.
In addition, the organizers produced a series of documentaries on veterans of Iranian regional music.
The 12th edition of the festival hosted three ensembles from Turkey and Afghanistan, in addition to several groups from different Iranian provinces.
An Afghan group led by musician Mohammad-Nasim Khoshnavaz and two Turkish ensembles led by artists Ubeydullah Sezikli and Yavuz Selim Kafkasyali gave performances during the festival last year.
The 13th edition of the festival began on October 31 and will run through November 2 in the southern Iranian city of Kerman.
Source: Iran Daily