Humans of West - Humans of Kurdistan

“After I finished the fifth grade in school, I went to Damascus after a while to start working. We started painting buildings with my brother. I was in Damascus for twenty-seven years, and when the Rojava war started along with the uprising, I decided to go back to Qamishli to smell freedom after the city's liberation from the Syrian regime, and I knew that my kids and I had to serve Rojava. My son joined the Kurdish forces that were protecting the area, and after a while I got the news that he was martyred, I was very depressed and I was also proud. I am now seventy-two years old, I was still looking young, but after my son was martyred, I started looking old. This is the price we have to pay for freedom and for speaking our mother tongue. A while ago I opened a shop to sell used goods to make a living for our daily lives.” ...

Oct 29 2020

October 29, 2020

“I was always dreaming of being accepted in college. I was very happy when I went to school the first day, I studied really hard. I went to high school and was determined to get good grades. Some time before my final exams I got into a car accident on my way to school, I was injured and taken to the hospital. I was not able to participate in the final exams. I stayed in the hospital for a while until I was better, but my mental health was still bad, and one year of education was wasted. I was very sad seeing all of my friends being accepted in college, not being able to join them. However, I didn't stop there and decided to get back to school the next year. Despite the war, and COVID19 that halted everything around the world, I had a strong will, I participated in the final exams and finally achieved my lifelong dream. I now study Economics.” ...

Oct 28 2020

October 28, 2020

“I have been living in Qamishli for five years, I am a Business and Economics student here. I am also a photographer in a center that produces documentary photos and videos. Four years ago, I started photography and I really liked it, then I participated in an advanced course of photography.We went to all the cities in Rojava, from Derik to Afrin. We took photos of soldiers and the nature, as well as anything related to Rojava's culture. We opened an exhibition that hosted a hundred photos, we also produced several documentaries about Afrin's movements, a village that only women live in, and many more.” ...

Oct 25 2020

October 25, 2020

“When I started reading the old books about the foundation of music, I went all the way to even read about the Pharos and the Meds. Something that grabbed my attention was that they had used music to treat illnesses. I went deeper into this, and started treating illnesses myself playing a violin because it is an instrument that touches your soul and gives you peace. I have a friend that's always stressed, I once asked him to come and have a cup of coffee with me. When he came, I saw that his hands were shaking so I told him to close his eyes, I will play him some music and asked for his opinion. When I started playing, I noticed his stress getting less, and I was sure that music can treat illnesses indeed. I researched more about it and saw that there are centers in Japan, United States, and even Dubai that work on healing through music. I can diagnose people through seeing their eyes and feeling their pulse, and then play them a piece of music.” ...

Oct 25 2020

October 25, 2020

“After graduating from college, I became a lecturer and started working in several universities. Most of them were in Lebanon, but after the war on Kobane between the Kurdish forces and ISIS insurgents, I fled to Turkey. Once I went back to Rojava I saw my house was destructed due to the airstrikes that had happened. The money I made by lecturing was not covering the damages on my house, it wasn't even enough for myself. I started learning how to put designs on glass. I have been doing this job for eight years and I am very happy with my work. I will continue as much as I can.” ...

Oct 24 2020

October 24, 2020

“I have been working with concrete for 35 years, even though the work has gotten very hard for me because of my age, I still have to do it to make a living for my kids. My son study's in Damascus university and all of my kids go to school, and I am very proud of the fact that I make money enough for them to continue their education and provide a better life for them than my own life.During my younger years I could prepare about 30 meters of concrete, but now I can do about 10 meters at most. None of my friends work anymore, but I must continue to provide a living for my kids.” ...

Oct 22 2020

October 22, 2020

“When I was a student in 1955, my father and grandfather were working as carpenters. They used to craft tools using wood. My grandfather passed away and my father joined the army and I was still a student. After a while, my father returned but he was injured. He had lost his left leg in the war, and couldn't work anymore. I decided to continue the work of my father and grandfather, and I liked the work more than I liked going to school. I wanted to finish early every day so I can go to work. I did like studying as well but I couldn't focus well.” ...

Oct 21 2020

October 21, 2020

“Because we were poor, I had to work in a restaurant close to our house after school. When my dad left to Damascus to work, he took me with him. I started working in a hotel for three years. I learned a lot from the chefs there even though they never wanted anyone to learn from them, but I used to watch them from the windows and wrote what I noticed.I went to North of Kurdistan due to the war and worked there as a chef. The owner was very satisfied with my work because I knew very well to cook Eastern food, so he took me to Denmark with him for work. I worked there for nine months, then finally decided to go back to Rojava and live with my family. I opened an oriental food restaurant in Hasaka. I love my job and always try to grow more.” ...

Oct 20 2020

October 20, 2020

“My sister and I have been playing football for four years. We used to play on the streets, and one day Captain Rasho who is now my coach came to me and asked me to play in a stadium. I stepped into a new chapter in my life when Captain Rasho decided to include us in his team. At first, I found it very hard because I had never played in a stadium before.Last year, I was playing for Amuda women's team, even though I was a new player the coach called me up because of my height. I became the first player to play in women's Syrian league at the age of fourteen. We won our last game in Damascus, and became the champions.We also became the champions of women's Syrian league for under 18 several days ago. My sister was the captain and she lifted the trophy. I was voted as the best player of the tournament and had scored the most goals.” ...

Oct 19 2020

October 19, 2020

“My two brothers were in a dance group as kids, but they joined YPG when they grew up. I learned dancing from them, and for about three years I was in a children's dance group. Once I grew up, I joined an older dance group and then became the trainer of the group. Despite my young age, I taught dancing to a lot of students.In addition to dancing, I taught myself to play Oboe because not many people are familiar with it here, but it is widely used in Afrin, they consider it as a part of the Kurdish tradition. I was sixteen years old when I bought my first oboe, and little by little I learned how to play. I have only taken two classes, and the rest I learned on my own. Everyone I knew wanted to learn how to play a violin or a guitar, but I preferred playing the oboe. While serving in the army, I was getting some attention because I knew how to play the oboe and dance, and so Farhad Mardi the artist offered me to join their group, and I happily accepted.” ...

Oct 18 2020

October 18, 2020