Filmed on June 18, 2021.
LALISH, Kurdistan Region — A popular Kurdish singer from Turkey is filming a music video in Lalish, the sacred Yazidi temple in Duhok, and featuring local musicians and performers in a celebration of Yazidi culture that she hopes will help bring healing to survivors of the genocide committed by the Islamic State group (ISIS).
“Our daughters are our wounds. They are great wounds of our nation. With music, dancing, and enjoyment, we can heal the wounds,” said singer Rojin Ulker.
In 2014, ISIS attacked Shingal in northern Iraq, killing thousands of Yazidi men and enslaving women and girls, in what has been defined as genocide. Many of the 500 Yazidi young men and women are featured in the video performing a traditional song, are survivors of ISIS.
“This video is about the culture of the Yazidis. The majority of the women in the video are survivors of ISIS. We want them to feel joy because of this video and music, rather than a piece of sad music. It is a message to make them happy,” said Dasin Mir Farough Beg, a representative of Yazidi community leader Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg.
Ulker said she hopes the video will be empowering. “We are creating a meaningful video clip in Lalish, showcasing ancient Kurdish culture. The message I wish to convey is that women can raise their voices through music so that you know we exist and will continue to exist, no matter what you do against us,” she said.
The video tells the story of a bride and groom on their wedding day. Friyal Hassan, 17, and Fazil Bashar, 23, play the roles of bride and groom.
“I was so happy to see our old cultural traditions revived in order to show we haven't forgotten them. We're so glad we've accomplished that. It made us so happy that we wore Yazidi dresses,” said Hassan.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment