On May 21, 2022, about thirty adults and children attended our Kurdish picnic, spreading out over several picnic tables on the great hill in Central Park.  A heat wave was under way, but fortunately gentle breezes and a nearby water fountain spared us the worst of it. Participants dined on fabulous food prepared by Ayhan. Some picnickers played volleyball, while others caught up with each other’s news or got to know each other. Xeyal led the children in painting renditions of the Kurdish flag; then they judged each other’s work on a scale of 1 to 5 (there were many 5’s!)

The infectious music during the picnic was Xecê Herdem singing “Kurdo buye almani,” from Ayhan’s playlist. It was  full of energy and repeatedly brought us to our feet dancing, but because we had a almani (German) guest among us.

Zilan (Sarah Koessler), who lives in Berlin, was visiting New York that week with her partner Anuscheh Amir-Khalili to accept a 2022 Global Citizen Prize, which they earned for having founded Band of Sisters, a group of women who hand-make sustainable natural products such as soaps, oils, and balms in Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood. All the women have Middle Eastern roots. They grow herbs in the Hevrîn Xelef Herb Garden and use them to make the soaps and balms.

Zilan, born in Amed to a Yezidi family, migrated to Germany as a teenager. As a performance artist, she has performed at human rights and women’s centers in Oaxaca, Mexico ; in La Paz, Bolivia; in Bergen, Norway; in Barcelona; at the Maxmur refugee camp in Bashur; and at Jinwar in Rojava.  At our Kurdish picnic she performed her piece “Yadê” (Mother), enacting a ritual in which she hennas her hair, hands, and feet.

The NYKCC brings together diverse people who enjoy celebrating each other’s talents.