As part of preparations for International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Women’s Assembly of the Metropolitan Municipality has formed a Women’s Choir made up of municipal staff. The women, who will perform on stage for the first time on 28 February, aim to make their voices and words heard more strongly through the choir.

The Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Women’s Assembly, with the support of the Department of Culture and Social Affairs, has brought together municipal staff to rehearse regularly on certain days of the week. The Women’s Choir will take to the stage for the first time on 28 February during an event organised by the Women’s Assembly at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.

Municipal Council member and organiser of the choir, Amine Kutlay, shared her thoughts on the initiative.

‘The Choir Will Be Ongoing’

Kutlay recalled that when the Women’s Assembly was established, there was a collective decision to form a Women’s Choir. She noted that this initiative not only brought women together, expanding opportunities for social interaction, but also created a space for generating ideas within the Women’s Assembly. Although the choir was founded in preparation for 8 March, she expressed their wish for it to continue in the long term: “It will not be solely dedicated to 8 March; this choir will continue in the coming period, and we are working towards this.”

‘We Aim to Increase Participation’

Kutlay noted that the choir currently consists of 10 members but that they plan to increase the number in the coming period: “We will also have women friends who can play bağlama, guitar and erbane. Some of our friends could not join the choir now due to their busy schedules, but in the next stage they will be part of the choir with their instruments.”

‘Let Us Launch 8 March Together’

Emphasising that the choir will perform for the first time on 28 February, Kutlay said they were very excited: “After eight years of destruction under trusteeship, it is very significant that the choir formed by the Women’s Assembly will take the stage. We especially call on all our people: on 28 February, come and celebrate 8 March together with us. Through the choir established by our Women’s Assembly, in a programme where we highlight our existence as women and the need to strengthen one another as women, let us launch 8 March together.”