Redwan Adalat - Humans of Kurdistan

"The best part of my life was listening to music, especially Hasan Zirak’s songs. I was so in love with this singer that I would go around the recording stores looking for new Hasan Zirak songs to buy and listen to. Once, it happened that they said Hasan Zirak was at the cinema here, it was the year 1966, so I rushed off to the cinema. I saw him from a distance, but I didn’t get a chance to see him up close and talk with him. I can’t do anything without listening to music daily and wherever I go, there has to be a recording player. I work in this small space, but it has been almost 10 days now that I have just been sitting around listening to music on my recorder, I have not made any money." ...

May 21 2020

May 21, 2020

"I fear nothing in my life and I don’t care about anything. We will all die one day, so just try to live well. But what matters to me is my safety and health. So never stop moving around. I did not mind it even at the time of the Coronavirus. We Kurds are used to handling so much. When I think back on our lives, the times they would take us to Mufti showers in the mornings, where they also had beetroot juice. The rich ones would also have the beetroot juice. Across the showers was Hama Agha’s house. They were the only ones who had rice and meat. They wouldn’t cool soup with it. We would wait there just to smell it. I still miss Sirwan Cinema and Rashid Cinema and the 7 heroes movie." ...

May 21 2020

May 21, 2020

"From 1977 to the 2000s, I worked at the Education Minsitry, located where Kaso Mall is now. I worked there for about 30 years, then I retired. I thought I could rest after retirement, but it didn’t turn out that way because my retirement pension is very little and we have not been paid for 17 months. Everyone knows how the salary situation is now, which is why it is important for people to work to be able to continue living, otherwise they can’t go on. I carry and transport things for people and shop-owners in the bazar. I am sitting here in front of this shop today, waiting for the owner to come back because they have things for me to transport with my cart." ...

May 19 2020

May 19, 2020

"Life is not at its best for most of us at the moment, that’s a fact we all know. Whatever the problem is, the most crucial thing is how we can continue living through it, no one can run from reality. I am currently only worried about one thing, I bought a cart to use for selling things, but I am not sure there will be work after Eid. I only had 400 IQDs but the owner of the cart asked for 900 IQDs. I managed to buy it by borrowing some money. So I am just waiting to see what will happen after Eid." ...

May 19 2020

May 19, 2020

"I am from Penjwen, but I come to Sulaimani often. I drive a taxi there that lets me live like a king. I don't expect to gain a lot of money. I don't look at those above me, I always compare myself to the less fortunate. There are so many young people at my age who still don't own anything and have not been able to provide a good life for themselves. I have two children, they have become all my joy. When I go home and see them, I forget all my exhaustion from the day." ...

May 17 2020

May 17, 2020

"I don't really know how difficult it is, but I have a dream of becoming a businessman and importing fabrics. I put in all my effort, but it is very difficult right now. When I left school to work, it was my first time coming into the bazar looking for a job. But I didn't know much about the bazar, I didn't know what I have to do...

May 17 2020

May 17, 2020

"This is my first year in the University of Sulaimani, college of Religious Studies. Before that, I was a student at the religion Institute for 6 years. I am an expert in Arabic. It is really critical for me to succeed in my studies. To be able to continue studying, I do electrical work. I work as an electrician now and I can do that work very well too. I started off an an apprentice; we were working in a building once, my boss sent me to buy water. I bursted into a cafe in my dirty clothes, they opened the door and welcomed me. They told me to sit, but I said I’m sorry I don't have time, I just need 4 bottles of water. They brought it and said that will be 5000 IQDs, each water was for 1250 IQDs. But I only had 2000 IQDs. That day, I had the feeling that I should not work." ...

May 16 2020

May 16, 2020

"I have rented a house in the Qazzaz neighborhood for me and my brother. He is crippled so he stays home. The worst thing in this situation is being a tenant. It’s great to have your own house. I don’t have a wife and kids, it wasn’t destined to happen, but I lead a simple life. I am currently an employee at the tax office, but I only go to work once a week. I cannot spend the other days at home, so I come to the bazar where I spent the days with friends." ...

May 14 2020

May 14, 2020

"We were sent to Kirkuk by an order in 1993 for some activity with three other people, but one of those was disloyal with us, he worked for both sides. He had informed them when we reached Rahimawa in Kirkuk, they had set up an ambush and we were caught. They took us to the prison. The lined us up against a wall the next day, only three of us...

May 14 2020

May 14, 2020

"The best thing about school life was the recklessness. I was one of those who was always at the principal's office for bad behavior. School was not that fun without these activities. I was at Sardaw school in Old Zargata for the first 5 years. It was really far from our house. It was an old, ruined school. It didn't have anything fun to encourage you to go to school; It had iron doors, dusty classrooms, broken windows, ruined walls. After a new school was built closer to us, it was called Sharo school. I attended there. It was the first time I had seen such a nice school that I attended." ...

May 13 2020

May 13, 2020