Humans of Kurdistan
The "Humans Of Kurdistan" project aims to present the cultural diversity of the country. A look at the faces but also the stories that lie behind each of them.

March 13, 2022

“Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in art. I was a presenter and acted in plays in primary school. I hold a master's degree in geography. I studied cinema at the Youth Cinema Society in Sanandaj when I was there on a military occasion. I grew up in a community and family where my chances of becoming a director were one percent and I fought hard for that one percent. I am very into documentary film and have produced four documentaries so far. Although I grew up in the beautiful nature of Hawraman, my love for this nature did not make me think only of the enchantment of this nature and forget about the pain and suffering of the community. So the cases of Kolbars (porters), migration of youth to Europe and the hardships of life in the borders have been reflected in my films. I have also photographed and documented fifty villages in Hawraman and Mariwan so far". ...

March 9, 2022

“I grew up in Qamishli in an artist family who were skilled at musical instruments. When I was a child, my father bought me a small Saz and I learned how to play it from my family. I still have it. Now I can play all the stringed instruments, but Clarinet is my favorite instrument. In the beginning, I was watching music bands on YouTube and there was someone who was playing Clarinet, and that made me buy a Clarinet and learn to play it. I am currently a member of the Butan Group and Wilayat Studio for Art. I have participated in a number of songs and national events such as Newroz. Later I recorded a song and it went viral. Art is food for the soul. It is something that I can’t get away from”. ...

March 6, 2022

“We were a group of young people who dreamed of having a cinema hall in Chamchamal. But in the absence of that, we played movies for free in cafeterias and teahouses under the slogan "Culturalization of Cinema". We were always getting disappointed that the number of viewers was low. But then we realized that introducing "cinema" to the city's community was a difficult task! It's too big. We even described it as a long-running revolution. We got to the conclusion that carrying that responsibility requires a lot of effort! So if we want to make such an effort again, we need to better educate ourselves so that we can deliver our message in a different way and do a little service to our city. I believe that only art can create a conscious society. So we the young people, if not today, maybe tomorrow or in a few more years, can make much better and more serious efforts”. ...

March 2, 2022

“The main work in our village is animal husbandry and there are about 20 thousand small and large animals. Stock raising is getting harder and harder. When it snows a lot during winters, the roads get blocked and we cannot leave the village. The roads remain closed for months. Our biggest problem is water. The village does not have drinking water. We get this water from wells. During winter, the water freezes and we cannot use it. We can melt snow for our needs but our animals die in thirst. So far; four of my animals have died due to lack of water. Just as how human beings cannot live without water, neither can animals. Every year we face this problem. In the summer the water dries up, so in the spring we take the animals to the towns of the Sarhad region and stay in the mountains there until autumn and then return to the village. Living in the countryside and stock raising are very difficult now. Due to these difficulties many villagers are moving to the cities. We have no choice”. ...

February 27, 2022

“After our village was named among the historical villages in Iran which is crucial for tourism, I saw that the villagers are very aware of that and are busy working in that field. I also needed a job so that I could be independent and get a financial benefit from it. For the first time as a woman, I started to rebuild and decorate my parents’ house, which had been empty for about 10 years and was about to be demolished, and I turned it into a house for tourists. In Iran it is called (Bom Gardi), a place where tourists feel like they are at home. I have adorned it as before with antique furniture. In the same year that I prepared the house, I was able to take the first place in Bom Gardi in the Sanandaj’s inheritance. I’m really delighted because I’m the first woman in our village to do something like that. Now me and my family all work together”. ...

February 23, 2022

“Man means taking a stand, that sentence has become a rule in my life. I came to that conclusion when I needed help and stance from the people around me, unfortunately, there was no one to help. I was privileged. It was God’s predetermined plan that my whole life was turned upside down. I had a house, big and small vehicles. I lost them all. I sold everything I had just to not be ashamed in front of God and people. I wanted to live as proud as I used to be, and that is what I did, thanks to God. The hardships of life could not stop me. At that age I decided to start again from scratch. Now I have set up a small teahouse, it is much better than begging people. I did not allow myself to be ashamed in front of people, how will I allow myself to become ashamed in front of my own family!? I have hopes that my life will be back to normal. And I will not forget those people who I had lent ten thousand dollars to but did not help me back with a word or a dinar”. ...

February 20, 2022

“My name is Roshn, I’m 19-years-old and I’m from Qamishli. I work in the field of child training and psychological support in an organization dedicated to the rights of children and women. I was 12-years-old when I first started this job. My mother and I were the founders of the organization. I did a project to support children’s mental health during war. Four autistic children received treatment and their conditions improved through the program I prepared, in addition to several other children who recovered. I currently hold meetings and training courses to raise women’s awareness. And I teach courses at the camp that houses families of Islamic State (ISIS) members where we are working to counter the extremist ideology of the ISIS women through the awareness sessions. I’m proud of myself for having done so much humanitarian work. According to the autonomous administration’s statistics, I’m the youngest volunteer in the humanitarian field at the regional level”. ...

February 16, 2022

“There is no such thing as impossible when you have a will. I took many different ways to lose weight, but they didn't work out, so I eventually reached the right decision and started exercising. I run nine kilometers per day for an hour and do some exercises for some parts of my body. I was able to lose sixteen kilograms in a few months. Losing weight was not the only advantage of my exercising but now I have a healthy and fit body as well, plus I no longer worry about how much I eat. I start exercising after the morning call to prayer so that I sleep early at night and have a better sleep. Fixing my sleep schedule was one of the biggest benefits of that process. Every human being sooner or later comes to the conclusion that a happy life means having good health. So I hope all of you try to live a healthy life”. ...

February 13, 2022

“I study for a PhD in Ardahan University. My PhD thesis is on the culture of nomadic tribes. I work on the nomadic tribes of Elikan, Duderan, and Soran. I live and migrate with them from city to city. I stay with them in tents in different mountains. This year, I spent all my time with them and only went home three times. In the beginning I found it very difficult because I came from the city, but now I’m getting used to it. They see me as their daughter and I see them as my family. Now we will move from Sirnak to Serhed, which is a 2 month-long trip. I witnessed a lot of their problems. Villagers who live in the village ask for a lot of money. They face a lot of hardship and difficulties because there is no defined route of migration. To resolve these problems, I prepared a report and informed the authorities to resolve them”. ...

February 9, 2022

“I’m three years old! That may sound strange but that is the truth because in the last three years I finally realized what life is like and I enjoyed things like everyone else. For many years I lacked the courage to go to a place as I desired and do some shopping, even to go to public places like other people! because of embarrassment and fear of society. Some loyal friends encouraged me to be strong and bold. After that I decided to overcome all the antiquated mindsets of ignorant people and comments from the surroundings. Eventually I came to the right conclusion and broke down that misconception. It is still not late for a 22-year-old girl like me to try to achieve my dreams. I want to tell everyone: I’m another person now, I used to ease my anxiety and stress with my Saz but now I play it for everyone fearlessly”. ...

February 6, 2022

“I’m 12-years-old, I grew up in an educated family and I’m still growing up. I love writing and reading. I was very happy when I participated in the annual Harkul Book Fair as the head of the children's book section. Because of my love for reading, my father recently opened a library named after me for children’s books, aiming to revitalize the culture of reading among children. We bring most of the Kurdish books from Duhok and some from Amed in northern Kurdistan. Most of our books are Kurdish so that Kurdish children can get to know their culture. Our project is new and has not been done in this area before, but I am sure we will reach our goal and further develop the library until reading becomes a culture for children”. ...

January 30, 2022

“If for others Valentine’s Day is the day of love, it is a day of misery and bad luck for me because I lost my mother in a distressing accident on that day. I despise that day. I don’t want that day to come around again each year. I remember everything. I was 15-years-old when one morning we woke up to the sound of crying and screaming. We saw our mother burning and screaming! We rushed her to the hospital and she was there for ten days. Due to the high percentage of her body that was burned, she passed away. This is the story of my life, which I will never forget nor does it ever fade away”. ...