June 10, 2021

“I was working at a teashop and made a dirham per day. I would spend the money I had collected from work on antiques such as Vinyl record players and old radios. I have purchased most of my antiques in Erbil, Baghdad, and Mosul. One of my sisters lived in Baghdad, I would place my purchases at her house until they would stockpile, then I would ship them back to Akre. I have been collecting antiques for 55 years; my house resembles a museum. The variance between my home and everyone else’s home is that I own gadgets and antiques that date back to over 100 years. I am now 70 years old and live on my retirement salary to get by on daily basis. My health is poor and often stay home for days. What burdens me is that every so often people come to my house with the justification of paying me a visit but only end up stealing my belongings. I love my possessions dearly and I have purchased each and every one of them with my hard-earned money. I hope the affiliated parties of this city offer to build a suitable spot for my collector’s items, because I do not have the strength to monitor and keep an eye on them anymore”.