TEHRAN – Art events and festivals provide a unique opportunity to explore diverse cultures and connect with artists, Turkish director Cengiz Özek, who is currently in Tehran to take part in the 19th edition of the Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival, has said.

Art events serve as a meeting point where one can experience a fascinating blend of artists and cultures, he explained on Saturday.

Participating in such festivals offers a fantastic opportunity for artists to not only share cultural knowledge and experiences but also establish valuable connections with other artists, he added. 

Özek has attended Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival with a shadow puppetry, “The Magic Lamp”.

It is a stage adaptation of “Thumbelina”, a literary fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.

Hacivat finds a lamp and takes it to Karagoz to have it cleaned. Usually, a genie lives in old lamps. But this genie is not a bad genie. Karagoz is allowed to ask whatever he wants. He has only three wishes. However, Karagoz is so indecisive that he shrinks to the size of a thumb. Poor Karagoz comes across giants; a crow, a frog, a snake, a mole, a rat and a stork. He asks every one of them about his lamp, but not everybody has good intentions. And from the clouds to the earth, through water, under bad weather conditions his adventure waits for him. In the end the gold-hearted genie saves him from this situation. Karagoz returns to his normal height and uses his wishes for his friends’ happiness and health.

Seven performances are staged by troupes from Turkey, Georgia, Mexico, Armenia, Peru and Brazil during Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival, which will come to an end on Sunday.

ABU/