The area around the Shengal Mountains in Northern Iraq is the homeland of
countless Yazidi families and holy places. The invasion of the so-called Islamic
State in 2014 in the heartland of the religious minority changed the lives of
these families abruptly. Entire families and villages were wiped out in the weeks
and months that followed in a cruel attempt to erase not only the future of Yazidi culture but also their past. Women were kidnapped and enslaved, men and
older women were executed in front of their families, smaller boys were recruited
and holy places destroyed. To this day, many Yazidis are considered missing.
The collective trauma runs through their history, which is characterized by persecution, expulsion and attempts of assimilation.

However, many Yazidis see Sinjar - which is another name for the region - as
their only hope as well as their home where they attempt to live a normal life
despite a weak economy and ongoing power struggles between different groups
and countries.

The body of work provides an insight into a religion that is based on oral tradition as well as rituals that represent a valuable cultural heritage. In addition to the political tug of war that the region is exposed to in a still severely war-torn country, the project addresses the struggle for recognition and tells of a trauma that can seemingly only be processed collectively and through trust in their own traditions.