The events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the People’s Poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzade, were held in Istanbul, Türkiye.

The events which were supported by the Fund for Support to Azerbaijani Diaspora, were held as part of the two-day project prepared by the “Kharibulbul” Azerbaijani Cultural Association to commemorate the poet’s anniversary.

On the first day of the project, a panel discussion titled “After All, the World Turns”, dedicated to the life and work of Bakhtiyar Vahabzade, was held. During the session, reports about Bakhtiyar Vahabzade were presented by İsa Kocakaplan, a lecturer at Istanbul Culture University, Imdat Avshar, editor-in-chief of “Turkic Literature” journal, and Kamala Kamal Cabbarova, head of the Kharibulbul Azerbaijani Cultural Association.

In addition, the premiere of the documentary film “The Poet of Independence”, dedicated to Bakhtiyar Vahabzade and jointly prepared by Hafiz Atakhanli, Gunel Karatepe, Zeynab Yalçın, and Sahil Nazarov, took place. The film’s music was composed by Orkhan Latifzade. Furthermore, an exhibition reflecting the poet’s life and work was opened.

During the artistic part of the event, songs composed to the poems of Bakhtiyar Vahabzade were performed by ashik Rena Guliyeva. Student Arvis Sadigov recited the poet’s poem “Azerbaijan-Türkiye.”

On the second day of the project, the premiere of the play “After the Rain”, prepared by the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Theater named after Jafar Jabbarli under the association, based on the works of the prominent poet, was held. The play was staged with the support of the Fund for Support to Azerbaijani Diaspora. The performance, directed by Mine Bayrakeri, featured actors Neda Sözbir, Mehmet Türkbeyler, Vusala Asgarova, Maruf Demirtash, Jale Chinar, Bülent Altay, İbrahim Domruk, Murat Eren Dikbasan, and Shamira Osmanova. The troupe leader was Bahram Afsal, the music arranger was Vusala Asgarova, head of the music department of the Kharibulbul Azerbaijani Cultural Association, the set designer was Aylin Axundova, and the sound designer was Hilal Alp.