Humans of South - Humans of Kurdistan

“When I was a child, whenever Sirwan Cinema and Rashid Cinema would play a movie, they would show the advertisement for it on horses and carriages around the neighborhoods before playing the movie. I remember when they were planning to play Hercules, the horse and carriage would come around early in the morning to show the movie poster, which had a picture of Hercules along with the viewing times and cinema location. There were some really good movies then like Tarzan, Django, Sangam, and the 7 heroes that had a huge audience. I enjoyed the cinema so much that whenever my father would give me money, I would collect it and would go to the movies with it. Some days I would go twice. So since then, I collected the movie posters and the characters’ photos until I started selling posters myself. It makes me happy even now when I come here and see the posters.” ...

Jul 19 2020

July 19, 2020

My wife is my heart's strength. We have been together for many years now. You cannot imagine what this is and what she has been through with me. She was only 13 when we got married. I was the only child and my father was sick and was living with me. Ismat served him very well, she would even shave his beard for him. Now the children have all grown up, all went their own way and we are alone again, busy gardening. We faced many Baath challenges. I was a soldier for several years. Afterwards, the Iran- Iraq war started and I was in Kirkuk. They told us to escape and become fugitives because the situation was really bad and anyone who returned who not make it out alive. So, I escaped and I can say that I am still a fugitive. ...

Jul 17 2020

July 17, 2020

“I have many goals, but many of them require me to be in a specific position so that I can help others and create a change in the context of the role of women in Kurdistan. But life in Duhok restricts me in many ways. Among those are culture and the closed environment of the city. Other cities like Sulaimani and Erbil are more open to these matters and women are more free to choose the things they want to do. Like any other girl, I had a lot of family pressure on me and was restricted a lot when I was a child. To support the solution of this issue, we need to work on extending education and showing the importance of making the next generations’ dreams come true for our community and specifically for parents. And especially in matters that relate to women’s cause.” "I was just 20 when I started working with the Yezidi girls who fled from ISIS. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me to hear their stories. I could not believe that there are people who can hurt others that much. I was a witness to the cases where I saw with my own eyes a child being separated from his mother because he was born as a result of a sexual assault. It is a very difficult job to try and convince someone who has been through all that tragedy that things will be alright and will go back to normal.After my own experience, my aim is to bring as many women as possible into the project that I am running, to help them gain confidence and show them how strong they are." ...

Jul 14 2020

July 14, 2020

“There used to be recorders and radios, a lot of people used them. I really enjoyed repairing the pieces when I was young. But as I grew up, I gradually lost interest in that job because it was a very detailed work. I then started repairing easier things, but I still have that interest. It was in the 70s, I had a radio I was really happy about. It had an issue and I took it to an Arab radio mechanic. He said he would fix it for one and a half dinars. As soon as I got home, the problem started again. I quickly went back to the bazar to another mechanic who said he would fix it for one dinar, but I didn’t have enough to fix it. So I decided to learn that job and fix the radio myself. I started to learn the job really well and people in the neighborhood would bring me things at home so I would fix it for them.” ...

Jul 13 2020

July 13, 2020

“Anyone who sees me is instantly drawn to my eyes. That is mostly because I am dark-complexioned. I am from Khanaqin, but it has been many years since I came here and I work with my partner in this tea shop. Tourists visit the tea shop every day, always asking if I'm wearing contact lenses or not. One time a woman came and asked me the same question, she returned soon after and said I have looked around Sulaimani a lot to find contact lenses of that color but I have not found it.” ...

Jul 10 2020

July 10, 2020

"Our generation did not pass through the best times, constant running, hiding and fear. We were at risk of being captured and executed every day. We did organizational work in the city with a few friends, but most of them are not alive anymore and some were martyred. I was a supporter of the PASOK party back then, it didn’t matter which faction you belonged to, all that mattered was that you were active against the Bath regime for the Kurdish cause. After a long while, I gave up my political activities and focused on my personal life. Although there are so many things right now that are longer of any value to me, but the only thing that occupies my mind is for my children to finish their studies and seeing them have a bright future." ...

Jun 30 2020

June 30, 2020

"After graduating from the college of Arts, I started my first job. I faced many challenges. Most of the people around me did not believe in my skills and thought I would give up, but I never gave up and continued because my goals were clear. I now own my own independent project called, ‘Mesopotamia Moving Images’, it is a long-term project and the first part will last two years, in which we will work on Kurdish culture, specifically architecture, clothing, jewelry, food, dance, music, and unrecorded stories. Our work will revolve around the geographical region of the greater Kurdistan, where people of different nationalities, religions, and languages have lived for many years. So it is important for us to have a cultural collection to prevent them from demolishing and so that information can be easily accessible for all the institutions and people who need them." ...

Jun 27 2020

June 27, 2020

"I remember when I was young, people were beaten and humiliated in Kirkuk every day. Even though I haven't done any political work, but I didn't get away with not being beaten: Once during the Iran- Iraq war, we were practicing our driving with a friend. A very fast car passed by us and I made in indication with my hand, it came off as more of a curse sign. He returned and stopped in front of us, they got out and started beating and kicking us so hard. Then they took us to the 'Intelligence agency', there, we were just able to be quite convincing, I said: ‘we are going to give blood, this guy's brother is wounded in the frontlines’. So, we got off with that. When there were talks of a revolution in Kirkuk, they would not let anyone come out and would often take people in their own homes for no reason, especially the Kurds. In 1991, when the Kirkuk IDPs came to Penjwen, I was one of them and I stayed. It has been almost 30 years I have been in Penjwen and have spent a lifetime in this shop." ...

Jun 25 2020

June 25, 2020

"I was deprived from studying at an early age. I couldn’t continue because of the situation and time. When I pass by the school, I reminisce about my terrible childhood and feel like I have left something in it that I can never get back. Sometimes in life you face something that takes all the happiness out of your heart, even if you have a lot of possessions, they won’t make you happy. Sometimes I see myself as a very calm person inside, but I don’t appear that way. I look very angry...

Jun 24 2020

June 24, 2020

"In 1991, we returned to Penjwen with my family. Some people of southern Kurdistan in the 90s would move to Eastern Kurdistan and Iran for a living. Like those people, I started off to Iran as well, as a young kid. I have worked in brick manufacturing, carpet weaving, agriculture, and herding. One of the jobs I started to like was herding because you serve an animal that cannot speak and he serves you in return. I have always worked consistently, now I work as a bricklayer. Like all other workers and laborers, it will affect me significantly if I don't work for one day. Even if it is not for the money, working still makes me happy and I enjoy it." ...

Jun 22 2020

June 22, 2020