Redwan Adalat - Humans of Kurdistan

"I did everything with my brother who was two years younger than me. We would go out together, work together, and would stick together through good and bad times…and everything else. We lived in Darogha. We sold bread in the 1970s. One morning, it was drastically cold and we went to get the bread at Sera Square. I felt like he was sick and somber, but we had no choice because we weren’t doing financially well...

Apr 14 2020

April 14, 2020

“Because I am a member of the security forces, my work is now amongst the people. You see all kinds of people on the streets, each with their own ideas and thoughts. And we need to get along with all of them. It is kind of difficult for us to change how we talk every 5 minutes. During the 48 hours of complete lockdown, I was in this street when a man drove in front of me, he had a child with him. I told him what are you doing here, don’t you know there is a lockdown? He immediately said to me, 'do you have children?' I found that strange and I said yes, two children. He pointed to the child and said, 'he is very attached to his grandmother, it’s been more than 10 days he has been asking to see her. What would you do if you were in my situation?' I said I would take him to see her. So, I told him it is okay, you can go.” ...

Apr 14 2020

April 14, 2020

“I want to be a physical education teacher because my own teacher picked me as the most active student in that class. I was supposed to be in 8th grade, but I fell behind two years. I did not study well and did not enjoy my classes.I was studying Kurdish once when I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning and went to school. I barely knew anything, so I got 5 out of 10 and my teacher got really mad at me. Only first, second, and third grade were easy for me to pass. It was very simple. But after that, it become more difficult, especially Kurdish and Arabic language lessons, and I am personally not very good at studying.” ...

Apr 13 2020

April 13, 2020

"We have been friends for many years and we spend most of the time together. We spent the first 20 days of this month at home, because of the lockdown and the lack of jobs, but then we decided to use this opportunity to do something together that would benefit us and other people as well. People reach out to us whenever they need something, especially their daily needs because they cannot go out. So we buy the goods and deliver them with this motorcycle. We work daily from 11 a.m until around midnight." ...

Apr 12 2020

April 12, 2020

"I really want a simple life, I don’t like chaos and anxiousness. I only want to be occupied with my own simple work. I don’t want to be busy with something that I constantly have to think about. Everything is beautiful in its own simple form. You see, because of this terrible condition we are going through due to the Coronavirus, nothing is in place. I truly hope we can get through this and go back to our normal lives, so that people feel at ease again. We worked together with my brother in this small shop for 25 years. Last year, on March 12th, he passed away in the shop; I was very tired that day, I went to the back to rest a while in the car, suddenly they called out to me 'Kak Jamal, come here quickly, your brother has fallen on the ground!' We rushed him to the hospital, but he had already passed in the shop…" ...

Apr 12 2020

April 12, 2020

"Other than my own job of providing for my family, my parents also live with me. They are old and they need me to take care of them. Although it is a lot of hard work, it gives me a source of pride for this life and the next. It is great for me when the house is busy. Besides, they can keep an eye on my family and children while I am at work. My entire life has become one thing, which is taking care of those around me; My family and others as well. That is due to my work, which is reaching out to people in need, I have been doing this for 7 years." ...

Apr 11 2020

April 11, 2020

"The shop I am in now is located in Sa’a Takoyi, which is named after the figure Kak Sa’id, he was a good man, they had a tea shop. He would always come to visit me. Unfortunately, the tea shop isn’t open anymore, but his son Haji Karim had a shop in Mawlawi street for a long time. This place was just an open field then, a lot of grass would grow. I remember we built the Shex Salam Mosque, the people of the neighborhood, because at the time we used to help each other a lot. People were there for each other." ...

Apr 11 2020

April 11, 2020

"In this current situation, earning a living is difficult. People’s hands are tied. That is why the domestic and psychological issues have increased. I think they are two main aspects of life that people always struggle with. And now this virus has taken over, it’s true that it is indeed a disaster for humanity, but we each owe a death. That is why I don’t think we should look at it with so much fear. I assure you, the amount of people who struggle with pain and misery, strokes, cancer, and many other things that are not even mentioned are much more. That is just how life is. We need to protect ourselves and keep clean, but we do not need to be scared.I have a 4-year-old darling. Two months ago, she caught a flu and it really distressed her. She had to receive oxygen for two days and two nights at the hospital. It was so troubling that we thought we would lose her. But thank God, she recovered with a good health. This one is very spoiled compared to our four other children. But this one has certain behaviors and says things that don’t fit her age. She does this wonderful thing; her mother spends time with her and takes care of her much more than I do, but once she sees me, she forgets her mother." ...

Apr 10 2020

April 10, 2020

"That was the end of Sulaimani city, as far as Dayik Park, from Jwlakan alley to Dayik park. Sulaimani was a small circle, they used to call it "Sulaimani Street". It was built by Major Soane, the ruler at the time. When it was built, there was only one vehicle in the city and it was his. I don't know what type of stores existed here, I am talking about the 1930s. I was born in 1937, I'm known as "Rauf Mastaw". My father used to have a mastaw (Yogurt Drink) store in Sulaimani. I've always liked to look fresh and dress neatly." ...

Apr 10 2020

April 10, 2020

"The spring is our work season, All the vegetables that I bring grow in our region; in Sangaw just behind Banimor. There are many kinds of plants and vegetables that only found in the spring. One time I found a mushroom that we posted on Facebook, it was one whole kilo. I threw it down from the mountain. I have kept it. Mushrooms are rare in our region, but it is very delicious and unique." ...

Apr 09 2020

April 9, 2020