Das Leben ist für uns. [Life is for us.] 2016

The Middle East is going through an upheaval. Parts of the region have turned into large conflict zones. In Turkey, Syria and Iraq states, parties, organizations, and allies are fighting for freedom, land and power. Since the takeover of Daesh [Islamic State] in 2014 the international picture of the Kurds has changed rapidly as they are represented by different political fractions. Previously a little-noticed nation under years of repression, they have now become a highly respected factor in the war against Daesh. The western media has begun talking about the strike capability of the Kurdish combat units and about their successful attacks. USA, Russia, Germany and other European countries in the EU have cooperated with the Peschmerga (the military forces of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan). But the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has especially taken a key position in the fight against Daesh and the riots in southeast Turkey. In early 2016 I got the chance to visit the PKK in northern Iraq for three weeks.

Das Leben ist für uns. exposes through photographic images and interviews combined, the various facets of the PKK-Ideology, the influence of the civil environment and they’re aims in the region’s current events. It is a critical view inside this party and its members who are recognized by the EU, USA, Turkey as Terrorist organization.

220-page book (German)
71 Photographs
+12 hours of interview material