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.
Humans of Kurdistan - South 03

April 8, 2020

"Sulaimani was the city of culture, women would come to the cinema as well. There was a spot at the cinema called Loch, the women would gather there. They mostly liked Farid and Abdul Halim’s voices in the Egyptian movies and would sing along. The Goizha Summer Cinema was only open in the summer. In 1957 there was a movie from Iran called «Amir Arsalan», it would play at night. It was on for 2 months, the movie was in Persian of course, it was not translated, but people from Pshdar and Hawraman would come to see it. There was a girl in the movie named Farah, she was a pretty girl." ...

Humans of Kurdistan - South 02

April 8, 2020

"Most of the people in the neighborhood are Christians, but it used to be home to the Jews, which is also why it is called the Jews’ neighborhood. One of the old houses is Karimi Alaka’s house and is still home to 13 households. Karimi Alaka was a known figure. When there was a crisis, he would make plenty of food and had made a hole in the wall where people would line up. He would give out food with a wooden spoon so that the people would not starve. He was well-respected among the people. In 1972, when I got married to the person I had chosen, Shex Latif passed away, he was Shex Mahmood’s son. Out of respect for him, we delayed our wedding for 6 months. They would teach us that tradition, to always respect the other person even when they are wrong. It was in the 1980s, I was going to the bazaar one day, I saw a young boy who seemed like a fugitive, he was standing in front of a soldier who asked for his identification card. The young boy pretended to find his card… He knew they were going to take him, and he suddenly started running from him. The soldier wanted to follow him and he was passing me, I was very concerned about the young boy, so I put my foot out in front of him and he fell in front of me. By the time he got back up, the young boy had disappeared." ...

Humans of Kurdistan - South 01

April 7, 2020

"My name is Latif Mohammed Mohammed Amin. I'm from Gullê village but I live in Mawat now. On January 5, 1967 I joined PUK, I stayed with them up until 1984. However, when the Ba'th regime captured my brother I had to give myself in so that he will be set free, he was set free. So, I rejoined PUK in 1992. Now I am a shepherd, ever since 1991." "We take the herd to the mountains everyday with Rokan until the sun sets and then we go back home after that. Mawat's nature is lovely, I never feel worn out in this place especially during spring, when it's all verdant green, it looks way more beautiful than it does now. We always carry a rifle but it's only for safety not for hunting, because hunting is banned, although people do hunt here every now and then. They mostly hunt hogs and resell it to the foreigners, especially the Chinese, sometimes a hog weighs 300 kilos and it pays really well." "I am 15 years old. I work as a shepherd with my acquaintance Kak Latif. Along with working, I also study in junior high, in 8th grade." ...