The Seventh International Puppet Theater Festival, dubbed Chodari Khayol (The Curtain of Imagination), will take place in Dushanbe from October 24-29 offering top entertainment for kids and adults.
An official source at the Ministry of Culture (MoC) of Tajikistan says puppeteers from six countries, including Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will participate in the festival, which is initiated by the Dushanbe Puppet Theater, Lukhtak.
Tajikistan will be represented by three puppet theaters: Dushanbe-based Lukhtak, Bokhtar-based Afsona and Buston-based Puppet Theater.
Lukhtak Puppet Theater will show the play “Naughty Princess” in the Tajik language, Afsona Puppet Theater will show play “Cunning Donkey” in the Pamiri language, and the Buston-based Puppit Theater will show play “Golden Antelope” in the Russian language.
The Chodari Khayol Festival will be held in Tajikistan for the seventh time; the first one took place here in 2007 and six puppet theaters from foreign countries took part in that festival. The festival has been held under support of the Swill Cooperation Office (SCO) in Tajikistan.
The previous Sixth Chodari Khayol Festival took place in Dushanbe on October 22-26, 2018. Puppeteers from six countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in that festival.
The Festival is an important event in cultural life of modern Tajikistan, and contributes to strengthening creative and friendly ties between different peoples and countries.
It is worthwhile noting that puppet art of Persian people enjoys a thousand-year old history and has preserved its beauty to our time. Historical sources say that Sogdian and Bactrian people in particular were engaged in puppet art even during the prehistoric period, and this traditional theatrical art was called “chodarkhayol” (puppet art). Moreover, its elements may be observed in the puppet art of Central Asian region, even in China, Japan, Turkey and India nowadays.
The Festival is undoubtedly a logical continuation of those undertakings. The Festival’s principal mission is to strengthen cultural interrelations, and give a better insight into the culture and traditions of Tajik people thereby creating grounds for further development of the puppet art in Tajikistan. It is expected that the Festival will promote cultural, intellectual and esthetic upbringing of the younger generation.
