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.

September 28, 2020

“When I used to see people at a bookstore buying my book, I was getting the feeling as Roland Barthes states, "The birth of the written lines must be at the cost of the death of the Author." However, I don't feel that way anymore.I admit that I am very happy when I see people buy my book, because of two reasons:First, because as an Author I feel like that my time and efforts for my writings have been paid off and I have delivered my message.Second, when a book is bought, it means to me that the book has its value. I never support the idea of donating books, I believe that if books are sold for even a small price, they should still be valued. The best thing you can do for an Author is to buy their book because the Authors that make a living off of their writings are very few. Unfortunately, buying books is not a culture here yet, while Kurdish books are usually much cheaper than international books.” ...

September 25, 2020

“I'm twenty eight years old, and don't be surprised if I told you that I have become the chief of my village. Being the chief of a village has changed. Previously, people used to go to their chief looking for a solution to their social problem, but now they come to me to fix their electronic devices. In 2003 I was introduced to satellite TV for the first time, and I started working on it since then. Then I bought a computer and little by little I started learning to work on it. After that, as you know mobile phones were in every home and have become an everyday used device, and I was also the person everyone came to when they had problems with their phones. Now that social media is used by more people, I take the responsibility of creating people's accounts, I may have made more than 200 accounts and emails. I'll admit that I have broken many devices, satellites and computers until I started getting the proper experience” ...

September 24, 2020

“My mother has attended childbirth many times, and I have the same gift as she does. God is the reason for everything happening, but I am also the mediator. I used to be afraid from the beginning, but the first childbirth I attended was of a woman weighing 280 kilograms, from that occasion I have gotten used to difficult childbirths. As much as I have experience, I also implement the academic process. I have a certificate from a Korean organization that teaches how to attend childbirth the scientific way. I only use herbs as medicine, they have no risks at all. I have attended over 250 childbirths, among them European women, or even some medical staff who gave birth to their children. I truly hold my job dear to my heart and believe it brings good. You don't even realize how happy I am that I see families that are hopeless to have children, but at one point they were blessed with a child.I always tell women to not lose hope, God always gives. There are many women who have been about fifty years old and I have attended their childbirth.” ...

September 22, 2020

“I was in Koya when I got married, I thought of buying a cobbling machine; I bought one for 4 dinars and started cobbling. Ever since, I have been working as a cobbler, and to wherever I have moved I have immediately opened a cobbling shop. I have never worked in any other field, I have been cobbling for years continuously. I have taught all of my 4 sons to be cobblers as well, and now 2 of them are still working here and the other 2 live outside of the country. Back in the day, all of the cobbling machines used to be of German made. My machine was truly heavy, about 60 kilograms. Previously, our many had a lot of value, but life has become too difficult now. The most difficult type of shoe I have worked on is Adidas, sometimes they called the PKK shoes, machines and sewing kits can't work with them properly.” ...

September 21, 2020

“It is the nature of life, everyone wishes for a different thing. Some people might find it strange that since I got married at 18, all my wishes was to have a daughter. God blessed me with 4 sons and deprived me of a daughter. When my eldest son got married, I wished for a girl again. When they had a baby, it was a boy. Deep down, I was very sad.But God did not leave me hopeless and their second child was a girl, which was my lifelong dream. Rahin is all my happiness now, I cannot stand not seeing her for one day.Whenever I come across anyone with a dream that they think they cannot achieve, I always bring my story as an example and advise them to be patient and believe in God, knowing that God will not leave anyone hopeless.” ...

September 20, 2020

“Through volunteering I have been able to participate in many activities that help make the society better. in 2016, while I was a sophomore in the university of Duhok, I volunteered to manage all the volunteers in Duhok university. Along with a group of volunteers we had many activities related to youth growth. After that, in 2018 I started volunteering with the Voice of Youth organization and then became an employee after a while. Currently, I have set out great programs for planning and activities for youth. One of my best projects is under the name "The little free libraries," and that was created by several artists and I was a part of it as well. We have each set up a little library, and the idea is to donate the books you have read to other people to read. You can donate a book and in return take a new one, and this will help to create a culture for reading and donating. The libraries have been setup in several places in Duhok.” ...

September 19, 2020

“I have been living in Hawler for several years now, from what I have seen, I know for sure that Hawler is a city of coexistence. Apart from me as an Arab, I have seen many other nationalities living peacefully same as I do. I paint for a living. Everyday I go to near Qalat and spend a peaceful day. What makes me happy the most is that the people also appreciate my work. It doesn't matter to me whether the individuals I paint are politicians, athletes, or artists, what matters is that I deliver what is asked from me.I admit that I do take money for my work, but that has never been the standard for what I do because I usually enjoy the works that I do for free much more.” ...

September 19, 2020

“It is now almost 14 years since I have had this shop. I work here 18 hours a day and do not want to feel like I don’t have anything to do. I want to be constantly busy with work and not think about the world. I also like to keep my shop clean, I always clean the items and outside my shop. Once I was cleaning in front of my shop, my neighbor, who is an old woman, said can you please clean in front of my house as well? I found that very strange, but I said of course dear, I will clean yours once I am done with mine.” ...

September 16, 2020

“My brother has been a florist preparing flowers for events for a while now. When I decided to start working, it was because of him that I chose this. It is a great job; all kinds of people visit us. I have often felt society’s bad psychological state while preparing flowers in that we are facing depression in many aspects. But I see hope with every flower bouquet I prepare and I see people trying to be happy.There are many events, people request flowers for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, anniversaries, or Valentine’s Day. All the days have their uniqueness. I remember one day we were preparing a very special bouquet for a groom, but he was very anxious and was in a hurry. When we prepared the bouquet, he was so happy that he forgot the flowers.I don’t feel at ease only when I am preparing a bouquet for people who take it to their dear one’s graves!” ...

September 14, 2020

“When ISIS invaded Mosul, all of our lives were in danger. Since our village was so close to the center of the city, we were also in danger. We were forced to leave our house and belongings and head to Hawler. A lot of people in Hawler appreciate us and respect us, but it is undeniable that no place compares to home. I really miss my village's evenings, and I really miss my friends. I hope one day we can go back to our own place and begin my education again. It's true that we are safe here, but the conditions are not ideal as well. My father and I are shepherds in someone else's farm, and the money is much less compared to our efforts. I truly wish we could pass this difficult time and get back to how we used to be.” ...

September 13, 2020

“I have studied accounting at the Shekhan Institute, but I would like to talk about how my love for art started. I have always loved painting and sketching, and everything started from the first grade of school when I knew I had a talent that I need to improve. Ever since, I have been improving my skills day by day, year by year. I was trying to paint the things I see around me. Of course, at the beginning my paintings weren't so good, but what is mostly important is that you are confident in what you do so that you are proud of your work in the future. You see, now I have developed my skills and nothing can stop me from doing what I love. Do what you want to do in life, and love the things that you do.” ...

September 13, 2020

“I decided to study in the Institute of Fine Arts and continue working on my art, but I was going to have to leave my parents and live in the dormitories, which was difficult for me. I stayed in the dormitories for 5 years all while my parents were always in my mind. I was the youngest kid in the house and very close to my parents. When I finished studying in the Institute I graduated with good grades and was able to continue studying in College. I was struggling financially and my mother was ill. I really wanted to work to support my mother so after just 1 year in college I found a job and was hired. I immediately left college and started working so I can have some money as soon as possible to give it to my mother. At the time, I had to work for three months until I got my first paycheck. Unfortunately, my mother passed away before I received any money. I was very behind for my studies, but after three 3 I returned to college and graduated, and also got married.” ...