Humans of East - Humans of Kurdistan

"When we lived with my family in Northern Iran, the area under our loft was filled with my parents’ books. My father was eager about Kurdish literature and was actively trying to improve that language and my mother was also a good reader despite raising three children.When she was pregnant with me, she read the (Kelidar) novel by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. So, under the influence of that book, she decides to name me (Maral) but my father suggests the name (Zhina), so they name me that.When we returned to Kurdistan with my family, I emerged as a civil activist and journalist and later I established the Zhira bookstore that I thought was suitable for me.If you think that you are living at the cruelest period in history, then by merely skimming through the lines of this book you will realize that many periods in history were far worse and harsher. Books will place you in reality and will create a certain balance in your thoughts, and selling books is a diverse and free work, with no regards to gender or nationalities, it gathers different ideas of which you are free to choose from." ...

Jun 29 2020

June 29, 2020

"I started playing guitar two years ago. I initially played classical guitar. I don't know if I did well or not, but I shifted to electric guitar and chose 'metallic' genre. There is anger and doubt within me, and there is a certain tension in playing metallic music. I feel like some of my anger soothes and I calm down when I play this kind of guitar. My dream is to form a group with my friends in the future that is famous all around the world." ...

Jun 28 2020

June 28, 2020

"I am talking about 30 years ago. We had a camera in the studio, the 'Canon AV-1' that had only one shutter speed, which was 60. Along with that, even its light meter did not work. But I was so used to it that my photos would tun out well. In the beginning of my work, I photographed a couple's wedding, 20 years later, that couple's son got married and I photographed them as well. And when their child went to school, they brought him here and I photographed him. I have lost many great events as a photographer that I have not captured. The good events are like a beautiful girl, who you like but do not ask out. Soon she will be engaged to another and you cannot reach her. If you find a good topic, you cannot be indecisive and should capture it, even if you are not entirely successful, at least you gain experience." ...

Jun 26 2020

June 26, 2020

"Only one word ignites my thoughts! Sometimes the saline smell of the water places me in a boat rocking under me. I am magically unrestrained in a deep end ocean, protected in a wooden box. My life started this way. A calm girl with a mind full of dreams. Big dreams. As a grew up, my passions faded. I was studying painting at the College of Fine Arts in the hope that my anxious mind would settle. I would paint, but life took that away from me and I drifted further away, further and further...

Jun 23 2020

June 23, 2020

"Sometimes people come to me, and after realizing I am an author, they apologize and say, 'I am sorry, you shouldn't have shined my shoes.' I tell them this is my job and I don't see any differences between myself and the person who should have shined your shoes. Or I have friends on social media who know me as a writer, they come to leave their shoes to mend with me by chance, and say, 'Is that you Xalo Rauf? It is unfortunate that you have to do this job!'I cannot say I am proud of being a cobbler, but why is it unfortunate to do this job? What should I have done? Was it good to be a goldsmith? [Laughing] It seems like I had to have a better life as a writer, but cobbling and writing are two different aspects of my life. I have tried to stay well-read and be a successful satirist. I have published satires in most of Eastern Kurdistan's weekly publications. I have now published my first satire book called 'Tenzila' and I am still a cobbler. This is me and my life. I always say, 'So much satire I could have written...

Jun 19 2020

June 19, 2020

"I believe I have the talent to become a good player. I am now training at a football training center. I was supposed to have a practical test at the famous 'Kia' Academy under Mahdi Mahdawi Kia, former player of the Iran team and the German Hamburg team to see if I am at a good enough level to continue my training with that academy. This was a great opportunity for me but the Coronavirus ruined it for me and it has been delayed to an unknown time. I used to be a Barcelona fan, but I love Bayern Munich now, but I am really amazed by Tony Cruise's games in Real Madrid. He is a very good player and plays in the field position that I like." ...

Jun 18 2020

June 18, 2020

"I have longed dream of having one of my photos on the cover of a famous magazine or newspaper and therefore being a source of pride for my family. My name is Nasrin Mashhuri, I was born into a middle-class family. My father was a suits tailor and my mother was a housewife. My father always tried to educate his children, he was especially proud of his daughters for being educated and would encourage us to have an active role in society like our brothers. Although I was a good student, in 1979 due to the Iranian revolution and the situation then, all universities closed for 4 years and so I couldn't attend. I decided not to give up and let go of my dreams. Today, I have published 4 novels and several children's books in both Kurdish and Persian. I have many other unpublished books, one of which is Saqiz: 50 Years of Childhood, it is ready to be published along with some archived photos." ...

Jun 10 2020

June 10, 2020

"I got married when I was 15. I was the only child and they wanted me to settle down soon. I was very happy to get married. My wife’s family were neighbors with my grandfather and they thought she was a good girl for me. I am now 28 years old and I have 4 daughters. My eldest is in 7th grade. My youngest is two years old. I see them as 4 angels. To be honest I don’t remember much about the time I got married but we sometimes look at the videos from the wedding and laugh a lot. It is a nice memory for us.I am a manufacturer, I work with lighter cars. When I am no longer in the mood to work, I leave the work to my apprentices and seek this small garden. I don’t think about what to plant in it, it is more important to me that it gives me peace." ...

Jun 07 2020

June 7, 2020

"Most people say money can’t buy happiness, but I disagree. Everything is yours when you have money. You buy anything you want, you marry whoever you want...

Jun 05 2020

June 5, 2020

"Madness is a new term for love, but I think they are the same, it is the most amazing thing. I think love is the only thing that has made my better and has kept it new and lively. With all its sadness and pain, with all the difficulties of falling in love, for me love is the glance that lightens you up and burns you. Like Besarani has said in a poem, I have viewed the world like I view my lover that is why my life is like spending all the time with my lover and every moment of it feels great.Maybe it is my love for a special person that has created this vision for me." ...

Jun 04 2020

June 4, 2020