They Do Not Speak Our Language

2026


Winter. February 2026. It is 5 in the morning. I have finally arrived in Karakoçan. Once inside our family appartment, where no one had been in years, I get under three diiferent duvets. There is no running water, no heating. It is just to get through the night.

Morning comes, as does the minibus. Along with the other villagers I drive through rough mountains and snowlandscapes. Fourty-five minutes later we arrive in the village of Qawuman. Welcomed into their houses, I feel the warmth that I had been missing the day before. All is well, I have arrived home.

They Do Not Speak Our Language is a project about Qawuman. A small village located in Eastern Turkey. The village my family has come from. The home of my parents and anyone who came before them. The mountains hold memories and stories, both laughter and pain.

Once a place people lived their lives in, now is running empty. The younglings are moving, in search for better oppurtunities. The priviliged are staying with their loved ones faraway during the colder days. Those who stay cannot leave because of their cattle or homes.

Altough summer is filled with an abundance of joy and people visiting, the winters are hard. The days are cold, the work is never done and the roads  are mainly blocked. They tell me “We haven’t seen people all winter. Nobody comes here during the winter.”  The whole season is being spent waiting on summer. 


They Do Not Speak Our Language is a living archive of a place that still holds culture and tradition.