Kurdish ‘Hamlet’ performed in Van

VAN

In collaboration with the Amsterdam Rast Theater, a performance in Kurdish of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” produced by the Diyarbakır City Theater in the eastern province of Van, has recently drawn great interest among locals.

The play was staged as the special monthly event for February of the Nüda Culture Center, which is affiliated with the Van Metropolitan Municipality.

Van Deputy Mayor Hatice Çoban said it was a great thing to stage one of the best known works in world theater history in the Kurdish language, expressing hope that it would inspire youngsters in the province.

“Young people may produce more important works. The culture center is an academy for them to show their talents, so I invite all of them to contribute to such works,” Çoban said, noting that the province of Van was home to more than 20,000 students.

“Hamlet” was first translated into Kurdish by Kurdish man of letters Kawa Nemir, and the world premiere of the play was held on Oct. 17, 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 400th year of commercial relations between Turkey and the Netherlands.