Sulaimani Girls Group Regrets Not Performing Abroad
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Ten years ago when Nawjin Muhammad and her friends transformed themselves into the Sulaimani Girls, they never thought their musical group would gain the fame and success that has come its way.
"Our goal is to make our group well known in the Kurdistan Region, and perform in all the cities," Muhammad said.
Hevi Kameran, a 23-year-old fan watching the girls at a recent concert in Azadi Park, could not get enough of his favorite girls’ band. “I wish they would go on singing until late in the night," she said, adding she had become an ardent fan.
The group consists of 23 musicians, who have staged several concerts in the Kurdistan Region, often wearing traditional dress.
Anwar Qaradaghi, the group's manager, complained that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) does not financially support the girls, who cannot perform abroad due to limited resources. "We got chances to go abroad, but couldn’t go due to a lack of funds," he said.
But Muhammad said she liked performing in the Kurdistan Region. "We don't care about performing abroad as much as we do about performing in Kirkuk. I believe it is better to hold a concert in Kirkuk, first," she said.
Hiwa, another fan, attends every concert he can. "They really perform well," he said. “I hope they will keep developing, along with the Tawar Group.”
The Tawar group emerged four years ago, comprised of 20 girls, and with a similar style to the Sulaimani Girls.
Tawar , managed by Kumiko Okamura, a Japanese musician married to a Kurdish man, has performed abroad. It came fourth at the 2008 Viva Youth Festival in 2008, and won first prize two years later.
Shna Abdullah, another of the Sulaimani Girls, said she felt wronged for not being able to perform internationally.
"There is a lack of interest about our group, because we are the only group that has been performing for 10 years without participating in an international event," she said. “We feel we have been wronged because we could not even perform in neighboring countries where we could showcase our Kurdish culture.”
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