TEHRAN- The 16th edition of the Iran’s Regional Music Festival ended on Tuesday in Roudaki Hall in Tehran. 

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili and a number of cultural officials and musicians, IRNA reported on Wednesday. 

During his speech, the minister said that regional music is a part of the authentic and identity-based culture of the country, which is highly regarded in the diverse cultural Iran. 

“For this reason, in every region of our beloved and vast Iran, it is not defined by political or geographical borders, but by cultural borders and the greater Iranian cultural realm.”

He continued, "This country is full of unique beauties and is rich in exquisite music. Therefore, my emphasis to my colleagues is to seriously promote this music in different regions.”

“We need to promote this music so that young audiences can come closer to this authentic music. We have beautiful music that should not be influenced by changing tastes," he added. 

"I also urge officials to respect and recognize the contribution of veteran regional music artists as these are pure and beloved artists, who should be celebrated for their sunburned faces.”

These top artistic evaluations are valuable documents that need to be seen, so that the audience knows the genuine artists we have in our country, he mentioned. 

“We need to introduce these artists to show our admiration for them. They are the symbol of our Iranian cultural values. These are the popular artists who have a highly acceptable social status in their respective provinces."

Esmaeili added, "These artists are the clear treasures of our beloved Iran and we need to provide our best venues for regional music performances. Perhaps this music might not be attractive to young people, but we need to create this change in taste.”

During the ceremony, five regional music masters from different provinces were also honored. 

The three-day event kicked off on January 6, covering a wide range of traditional, folk and ethnic music from across Iran. 

SAB/