Culture meets technology: Galawezh Festival kicks off in Al-Sulaymaniyah

Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

The annual Galawezh International Festival opened on Thursday in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, launching three days of cultural events that bring together writers, artists, and researchers from across Iraq and neighboring countries.

Festival organizer Younis Hamad told Shafaq News that the opening ceremony features musical performances and the announcement of several arts and literature awards.

First launched in 1996, Galawezh has become one of the Kurdistan Region’s longest-running cultural gatherings, returning each November with an expanded platform for literature, art, and intellectual dialogue.

This year’s program includes academic and literary sessions led by researchers from Iraq and Iran, covering contemporary thought and modern literary trends. The schedule also features short-story and poetry readings as part of the festival’s competitions.

In a nod to emerging fields, the festival added a dedicated panel on artificial intelligence and its impact on cultural production and knowledge.

Recent data from Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute underscores the relevance of this theme. Iraq ranked 86th worldwide in the Artificial Intelligence Utilization Index, with only 10.3% of its working-age population using AI tools—one of the lowest rates in the Arab region. The United Arab Emirates topped both regional and global rankings at 59.4%, followed by Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Globally, Singapore ranked second at 58.6%, while Cambodia placed last at 4.6%.