How to host a Kurdish music quiz night

A music quiz is one of the easiest ways to get a room of Kurds of every age laughing and arguing together. Grandparents know the classics, teenagers know the new hits, and everyone has an opinion about who sang it first. Here is how to run one.

What you need

• A phone, tablet or laptop, ideally connected to a TV or speaker so everyone can see and hear.
• Two to six teams. Mixing ages in each team works best.
• Around 30 to 60 minutes. Ten rounds per team is a good length for a first game.

Setting up with KêGot

KêGot handles the songs, timing and scoring for you:

1. Open Yari, choose KêGot, and enter your team names. Up to six teams can play.
2. Choose 5, 10, 15 or 20 rounds. Teams take turns, one team per round.
3. Pick the song language: Sorani, Kurmanji, or a mix. For mixed groups, the mix keeps everyone involved.
4. Each round shows lines from a song. The team has 60 seconds to name the singer and the song.

How scoring works

Every round starts at 10 points and loses a point every six seconds, so fast answers are worth more. A team can ask for up to two extra hints, each costing a point. When the team gives its answer, reveal it and mark it correct or wrong; correct answers bank the points that were left. The highest total after the last round wins.

House rules that work well

• One answer per round. The team must agree before speaking; no shouting out several guesses.
• Singer and song both count. Decide in advance whether naming only the singer earns half points.
• Steal rule. If a team is wrong, the next team may try to steal for a small bonus.
• Sing it. A team that sings the next line correctly earns an extra point. Guaranteed to get people on their feet.

Variations

• Voice mode. KêGot can listen to spoken answers: hold the microphone button, say your guess, and release to check it.
• Dialect swap. Play a round in the dialect your team knows less well. It is humbling and educational.
• Newroz special. For Newroz, the Kurdish new year celebrated around 21 March, finish the evening with a round of everyone’s favourite dance songs.

Tips for the host

Keep the pace up, read the revealed lines aloud with feeling, and let the older players tell the story behind a song when they want to. That is usually the best part of the night.