Sartip Vim - Humans of Kurdistan

Aug 13 2022

May 5, 2022

“People call me Rashoi Saz. For me, life means music. This Saz is the closest person to my heart. Every day, I make people happy by playing my saz in the bazaar, and I’m sure they all love me for it. They always want to pay for my meals, and they have never charged me in teashops. When I come or leave the bazaar, people honk and stop their cars for me on the street. I am self-taught in music. Otherwise, I don’t even know how to write my own name. Muhammed Arif’s voice brought me into the world of music. So, I don’t spend a night without listening to him. When I want to learn a new melody, I repetitively listen to it and then try to imitate it. It was tough for me during the quarantine because I had no life without the bazaar. To put it better, my life depends on the money people give me either for playing music for them or just because of how much they love me”. ...

Aug 13 2022

May 8, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of North

“I have been doing shoe repair work for 35 years. I have ten children who I have raised with this job. I have been repairing shoes since my childhood. There used to be many shoe repair workshops, but now 3-4 workshops remain and a few of the old shoe repairers. We did not have such a machine before; we worked by hand. There were needles, threads, nails, hammers but nothing else. Now the technical conditions are better, but there is no work. Today, one does not bring their shoes here and does not repair them for 15 lira. At that time, people were coming from the village, and there were work. There was no machine, but we had more workload. Things are fine now, but sometimes we wait until the evening and still receive no customers. Twenty years ago, our work was excellent, but in recent years it has decreased. I was going to close my workshop. However, after the economic crisis, the price of shoes increased a lot. Since shoes are so expensive now, residents repair their old ones. Our work is on the road to recovery. Many professions have been lost in history. The shoe repair business was also on the verge of extinction. However, now our profession is certainly getting a lot of attention because of the economic crisis”. ...

Aug 13 2022

May 24, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of West

“I’m Ali Ahmed and I’m 23 years old. I’m from al-Tanouria village in the countryside of Tirbespiye. My family relies mainly on agriculture, so we grow wheat and barley in winter and vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers during summer, after harvesting the grain. Most farmers depend on rain for agriculture, but due to the insufficient amount of rain, which led to the lack of adequate growth of wheat and barley, we decided to irrigate the farm ourselves; despite the high costs, our farm is now in a good condition, and the difference is evident between our farm and the farm adjacent to us whose owner relied only on rain-fed agriculture. Our efforts and struggle have not been in vain, and in a few weeks, we will pluck our fruits and harvest our wheat; so whoever sows will reap in the end”. ...

Aug 13 2022

May 18, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of South

“Coexistence in Halabja has a long history. The beauty of this city comes from the reality that nothing comes between their love and devotion for each other. I am a Kakaiy girl; this hasn’t stopped me from having Muslim friends. When I see a person speaking Kurdish, I don’t care much about other things. What truly makes me happy is that my friends also have the same understanding of peaceful-coexistence. We both respect each others' culture and holiness. I have been a teacher for some years now, and there is mutual respect between me, my colleagues, and my students. Moreover, I have been working as a photographer in this city for many years now. I think I have attended events and birthdays of Muslims more than of the Kakaiys! I even participate in most of their religious rituals and take their photos. They also come with me to Hawar village, where our shrine is, and it is the true residing place of the Kakaiys”. ...

Aug 13 2022

May 29, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of East

“My name is Rahman Taqi Zada, and I am 86 years old. I’m from the city of Shno in the Iranian Kurdistan. In my youth, I became familiar with Kurdish singers through radio, especially Hassan Zirek and getting to know him became an obsession for me. No one knows singer Hassan Zirek as much as I do as he stayed with me for three months. I gave him a room in my house and I was at his service. Everyone in Shno knows this. Having been with him in person, I was able to see a significant portion of his life up close and documented them in books for his audience.Sixty-four years ago, I started recording the contemporary singers of that time for the sole reason of my enjoyment at the radio stations. Now, I consider myself to have one of the most extensive archives of Kurdish singers. I have an immense archive that includes the oldest musical and visual instruments to the most modern ones”. ...

Aug 11 2022

June 1, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of North

“When I was young, I was very interested in culture and art. I was drawing, and my teachers were kind to me and were interested in what I was doing. I also gave way to my friend in this art. Personally, I couldn’t continue because of the difficulties of that time. We moved to Mersin and worked as a cartoonist there. Then I came to Mardin and started working with stones. Later in life, I couldn’t work on stones anymore when I got old, so I started carving. I have been doing this for ten years now. When I paint, I try to get to know the culture of Mesopotamia and the Kurds. I made about 200 artworks on Sumer, Assyria, and Medan, such as Ahura Mazda, Shahmaran, Ziha of the Euphrates and Tigris, Dawrêşê Evdî, and Edûl. I still continually work on portraits. I also made portraits of many renowned Kurdish figures. From Eyşe Şan to Mela Mustafa Barzani, I painted many artworks on textiles. Moreover, I am inspired by Kurdish culture; I show this through my art. Besides, I also teach; my door is open to anyone who wants to learn”. ...

Aug 11 2022

June 5, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of South

“Learning a new language has its challenges but also has twice the delights. I learned two new languages through Facebook. My English and Ukrainian friends were shocked at how I learned their languages solely through texting at such old age. I have improved my Ukrainian to a point where I can video call my friends and not just text them. They are so interested in our way of life and culture; they always ask me to show the people and the surrounding in the Bazaar of Khanaqin, even if it is for a few minutes. Now, they have become friends with the other shopkeepers around me. The neighboring shopkeepers make conversations with them occasionally, and I translate for them. I would love to have them visit Khanaqin and see the place for themselves. Unfortunately, they are worried about the security of Iraq. God willing, I plan to personally visit them, strengthen our friendship in person, and improve my language even more”. ...

Aug 11 2022

June 8, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of West

“My name is Firas Alou, and I’m 24 years old. I left my village "Ahras" when ISIS took control of it in 2015. Then, the city of Afrin became my refuge and my new destination for continuing my education. I stayed and became more in love with her than with my hometown. I studied at Afrin University, and my dream was to carry out a photoshoot session for traditional Kurdish dresses at the Prophet Hori Archaeological Castle once I graduate. The ramifications of war did not allow for this, as I was once again forced to flee after Turkey occupied Afrin in 2018. Four years later, I continued my education in the city of Qamishli. I was able to achieve a small part of my dream not in Afrin, though, but rather in Qamishli by conducting a photoshoot in front of the symbol of Prophet Hori Castle in the city”. ...

Aug 11 2022

June 15, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of East

“This style of yoga that I have chosen to practice is called Ashtanga Yoga, one of the most distinct styles of yoga. I dropped out of college to learn yoga and lived alone for two years in Tehran. I’m so pleased to support those practicing yoga in my city and share my experience with them. I have opened a beautiful yoga club in Sanandaj for two years now, and most of the time, I practice outdoor as nature affects me. What I did, made me famous as a boundary-breaking woman. Once I mastered it and dedicated time, it taught me so many things. Yoga is a special sport for the soul and the body. It can have an effect on bodily illnesses too. My sister was in a lot of pain when she had a migraine, but she got better because of this sport”. ...

Aug 11 2022

July 3, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of South

“My dream is to become a volleyball player. Since this sport doesn’t receive enough recognition in Kurdistan, becoming a volleyball player is rather difficult. Players must work tirelessly to prove themselves and be accepted in a club. These things are challenging but not impossible. I have trust in myself, and my family supports me. I only work to make this dream come true. I practice daily after school; we don’t have a proper sports field, so instead, we do our exercises on the dirt field. The ones with experience around me have told me that players should start from an early age. So, I’m at the perfect age to make a great beginning. I feel happy that my height and weight are suitable for playing volleyball; currently, I only have time for school and practice. Gladly, I don’t even have friends! My best friend is my ball”. ...

Aug 11 2022

July 6, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of West

“My name is Qadri Sharbatchi; I was born in Aleppo and am 70 years old. Sixty years ago, when I was ten years old, I used to sell sweets with my grandfather. When he passed away, I kept working in this profession and did not want it to discontinue. Later, I made a small wood wagon and sold sweets in the city bazaar. I love this profession because I grew up doing it, and I also have implored my children never to abandon it. Now that I have gotten older, I cannot make the sweets myself and sell them too, so instead, my children make them, and I sell them in the bazaar. Everyone at the bazaar loves me; they return daily for my sweets, for I keep them immaculate”. ...

Aug 11 2022

July 17, 2022

by Sartip Vim

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in Humans of East

“My name is Jawad; I’m from Dolaw village in the Sanandaj district. I grew up with bees and beekeeping from childhood. I used to do beekeeping in the same fashion my father and uncles did. As I grew older, I started beekeeping academically and treated the bees the same way. I dedicated a lot of time and effort to it, and in a matter of three years, I became an exemplary beekeeper in the Kurdistan province. In the year 1398 of the Solar Hijri Calendar, I became the exemplary beekeeper in all of Iran.I have learned a lot from bees, such as discipline, cleanness, and calmness.Bees don’t live long, but they work and toil for the duration of their life. Most of the works that bees do are similar to what humans do. To be a beekeeper is to be away from the city and instead be at the heart of nature. It has its highs and lows.” ...

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