Yazidi women document their culture through "Yazidi Community Archive" exhibition

Yesterday, Wednesday, the organization HAWAR.help held its first Rojava-wide exhibition, titled "The Yazidi Community Archive." The event sought to reintroduce the Yazidi community from a perspective that transcends narratives of suffering and genocide, focusing instead on its history, culture, customs, and social memory.

The exhibition featured approximately 50 photographs documenting various aspects of Yazidi life in Syria and Iraq. The images included portraits of elderly men, as well as Yazidi homes, locations, and shrines.

Also prominently displayed were photographs of Yazidi women—including young women in traditional attire and mothers engaged in traditional crafts.

A number of young Yazidi men and women participated in the documentation process, having received specialized training from the organization in oral history interviewing and photography.

Female media students from Rojava University who participated in the exhibition spoke to ANHA agency about their experience conveying the reality and culture of the Yazidi community through photography.

Amal Arefu, a young Yazidi woman from Afrin, spoke about the initiative: "I participated in the Hawar Help organization’s exhibition with several photographs. Among them was a portrait of a Yazidi man from Şengal—a man displaced since the 1980s who remains displaced today, living in the village of Tal Khatoun in Rojava. Through his facial features, I wanted to convey the suffering caused by displacement. I also displayed a photograph of a Yazidi shrine in our village, Qibar, in the city of Afrin."

Amal believes the exhibition plays a vital role by transforming oral accounts into visual images that are preserved in an archive, serving as a testament for future generations.

She continued: "I, too, am now displaced, yet I have continued my work on behalf of the Yazidi people. I am working on a writing project to document Yazidi rituals and culture, the massacres they have endured, and the pain, suffering, and genocide experienced in Şengal."

Amal concluded: "I am creating a digital archive on my personal page to preserve everything related to us, ensuring it is neither forgotten nor distorted." She also addressed a message to young Yazidi women: "Do not give up, do not abandon your dreams, and hold fast to your culture."

Memory Preserved in an Image

Gulbirin Silo, from Tirbespiyê, spoke about her participation, saying: "I took part in the exhibition with several photographs. One depicts the 'Wishing Tree' at the Quba Feleki in the village of Otlaja—near Tirbespiyê—where people hang their wishes. Another captures the story of 'Mother Jazya,' who frequently travels from Europe to Rojava to visit her husband’s grave at the shrine, highlighting the care she devotes to the site."

She added: "We received photography training months before the exhibition took place; we then moved on to the practical phase and captured the images currently on display."

In her concluding remarks, Gulbirin stated: "Exhibitions like this play a vital role in preserving the culture and identity of peoples—especially those who have endured massacres and violations. Our primary goal is to safeguard our culture and share it with the world."

Sh-S

ANHA