Tabara refugiatilor Yazidi din Diyarbakır

Saptamana trecuta am fost in Turcia, pentru prima data in partea de est indepartat a tarii unde populatia este majoritar kurda. 

Diyarbakır, intitulat capitala neoficiala a tuturor kurzilor din lume este al doilea mare oras din zona Anatoliei dupa 

Gaziantep. Diyarbakır este, de asemenea, un centru cultural si economic major în Turcia și in ultimul timp a fost un

punct fierbinte între Guvernul Turcei si populația sa kurdă. 

In lunile Octombrie si Noiembrie inregistrandu-se mai multe demonstratii legate de implicarea sau 

neimplicarea Turciei si altor state in conflictul dintre asa zisul stat islamic si populatia din Siria si Irak. Aceste 

demonstratii au fost foarte violente si nu mai putin de 40 de persoane si-au pierdut viata dintre care mai bine de 15

doar in Dyiarbakir.

Nu am sa vorbesc despre Kobane, Ain Al-Arab in lb. araba (oras atacat de islamisti) si care refuza sa cada de mai 

bine de 90 de zile cu toate ca nu a primit niciun ajutor oficial din partea vreunui stat. Singurul ajutor venit este din 

partea indivizilor veniti din state europene (cu precadere Germania si Olanda) care lupta importriva islamistilor din

principii ideologice sau personale, exemplul bandelor de motociclisti sau a etnicilor kurzi din statele europene.

       Graffiti realizat pe peretii Universitatii din Bologna (IT) care il pozasem cu cateva saptamani mai devreme 

                                                                 la finalul lui Noiembrie 

Aici am sa scriu cateva randuri despre refugiatii din tabara din Diyarbakır pe care am avut prilejul sa ii intalnesc la 

ei in "in casa" temporara. Toti cei 5000 de refugiati provin din comunitatea Yazidi compusa din mai putin de 1 milion

de persoane in lumea intreaga. Aceasta comunitate etno-religioasa face parte din grupul kurzilor care la randul lor 

reprezinta cea mai mare natie care nu este constituita intr-un stat. Kurzii sunt in numar de 30-35 de milioane si se 

gasesc cu precadere in Turcia, Siria, Iran si Irak. 

                                          este de la sine inteles de ce nu am mai multe fotografii de acolo

Refugiatii din tabara din Diyarbakır veneau din Irak de undeva de la granita cu Siria. Cu putinii oameni care rupeau 

ceva engleza (doi la numar) am putut discuta si afla mai multe despre situatia lor. Trebuie spus de la bun inceput 

ca acest grup etnic nu este musulman, ci crede in puterea focului si a apei reunite sub un singur Dumnezeu care

 a creat lumea. Deoarece sunt ceva asemanari intre Melek Taus (Ingerul Paun, pe care yazidii il venereaza pentru 

independenta sa) si Shaitan (ingerul care a refuzat sa se inchine lui Adam) musulmanii dar si unii crestini ii 

considera pe yazidis veneratori ai diavolului. Din cauza acestui fapt in decursul istoriei au fost tentative de 

exterminare a lor de 72 de ori, ultima venita din partea gruparii ISIL/ISIS (autointitulata statul islamic). 

Oamenii din tabara Diyarbakır, au vazut cu ochii lor cum au fost ucisi sau chiar decapitati membri din comunitatea 

lor. Islamistii oferindu-le doua optiuni: convertirea sau moartea. Pentru a scapa din infern au trebui sa mearga in 

continuu cate 24 de ore pana in Siria, dupa care inapoi in Irak si pe urma datorita fortelor kurde pesmerga sa intre 

in Turcia. Multi dintre ei nereusind sa ajunga la destinatie. Dupa spusele oficialilor taberei, 90 la suta din cei 

gazduiti au cel putin un membru al familiei disparut. Am spus disparut, pentru ca este si cazul rapirilor; mai mult 

de 300 de femei sunt tinute ostatice si folosite drept sclave sexuale de catre luptatorii isis, de multe ori fiind 

vandute la piata ca niste animale pentru cateva zeci de dolari. Multi altii au fost blocati, ramanand in muntii Sinai, 

urmand sa infrunte gerul iernii. 

  

                       Un complex de agrement a fost transformat in tabara de refugiati temporara

Deoarece toti cei din aceasta comunitate au fost suprimati dea lungul istoriei, niciunul din ei nu doreste sa se mai

intoarca de unde a venit si nici nu accepta sa locuiasca in vreo alta tara musulmana considerand ca scaparea lor

o reprezinta Vestul Europei, Australia ori Statele Unite ale Americii. Cand i-am intrebat despre Turcia, raspunsul a 

fost acelasi. Odata cu emigrarea, disiparea si asimilarea acestora exista riscul ca peste 1-2 generatiisa se 

piarda aceasta cultura.

Aceasta tabara nu este finantata de catre guvernul turc ci doar din donatiile populatiei kurde. (nu am verificat aceasta informatie) ONU a estimat ca pana la sfarsitul anului numarul total al refugiatilor sirieni si irakieni va fi mai mare de 3,5 milioane de persoane. Pe langa Turcia, statele care au primit cei mai multi refugiati sunt Libanul, Egiptul si Iordania. 
In toamna, organizatia STEP a fost partenera intr-un alt proiect aproape de granita fierbinte a Siriei (in Gaziantep), ar fi trebuit ca proiectul sa se desfasoare in Kilis, dar din motive de securitate a fost schimbata locatia.

Antogo Fishing Frenzy, Antogo Lake, Mali

Once a year, the people of the Dogon rush the sacred Antogo Lake in Mali. In a flurry of activity, the Dogon grab at the water feverishly hoping to snatch a fish.


The lake itself is a rarity in a country comprised mostly of the Sahara desert and the dry steppes of the Sahel, which undoubtedly lends to its importance and sacredness. Although the lake is sacred, it is small and murky, and within minutes the Dogon fisherman empty the lake of all its inhabitants.

Throughout the year, it is illegal to fish in the lake. However, after the ban is lifted, fishermen file into the lake to grab whatever they can during the short-lived Antogo fishing frenzy.

The frenzy occurs during the dry season in Mali, which allows the fish to be easily caught in the shrunken lake. The ritual is strongly based on ancestor worship, and along with other rituals in Dogon culture, women are prohibited from participating.

Although women cannot join in the festivities, legend holds that a young woman discovered the lake and its miraculous fish, starting the chain of ritual fishing in the desert pool. Regardless, the Antogo festival is a spectacle like no other opening day for fishing across the world.

The elders of the Dogon villages decide the date of the fishing frenzy each year but it generally falls in the dry season in the early summer months.

                                                               Desert Fishing Frenzy - Human Planet - BBC




Sursa: atlasobscura.com
Credit: Photographer Timothy Allen / BBC

Iranienii sarbatoresc

                                                             Fani iranieni in Brazilia

Am vazut poza asta mai devreme, fiind postata de un prieten brazilian. Am dorit sa o public pentru a arata lumii cat de frumosi sunt si acesti iranieni care in ochii multor popoare sunt priviti ca niste inapoiati. Mi-a adus aminte de un articol pe care l-am citit si in care era expusa deschiderea acestora catre nou si noncorformism. Reiesea ca sunt atrasi de cultura vestica (americana in special) si ca sunt dispusi sa inghita si sa digere tot ce vine de acolo, ilegal bineinteles. Nu e un lucru bun, dar e interesant!

“Iranians are very influenced by American culture. They’re obsessed. Illegally, of course, but everyone’s on to it. Movies, TV, everything. Anything that’s out there.  And they overdo it. They say, ‘Oh, Americans have sex casually, lets have sex casually times 10."

Se pare ca statul femeii castiga teren din ce in ce mai mult si datorita opresiunii istorice la care au fost supuse, in underground-ul iranian, se schimba coordonatele problemei. Intrebati de relatiile barbat - femeie in liberalismul iranian, tinerii din discutie afirma:

"If you’re a girl, you get to decide how much you’re worth.  My grandmother walks around with a whip and my grandfather is basically not allowed to talk. Americans think Iranian women are oppressed. My grandfather is oppressed!"

Cu toate ca barbatii persani in contact cu alti barbati sunt iuti la manie, mai ales daca au si ceva de aparat. Am si o povestioara dintr-un club din Yerevan, Armenia despre asta.

Stiu ca pare incredibil dar in opinia mea e de crezut. Ca sa va faceti o idee mai clara dati un search pe google la "iranian orgies". Asa ca sa inchei, va las cu un exercitiu de imaginatie; vedeti cam cum ar arata femeile lor daca nu ar fi acoperite de val, hijab, burqa, niqab si alte alea!

                                                                        fan iranian
                   
       

Gasiti aici articolul la care fac referire mai sus.

Maya Temples of Yucatan

Maya archeological zones of Yucatan (greens we saw)

Playa Pescadores of Tulum (behind me you can see the temple)

Pok-ta-pok (Maya ball game)

The ballgame was played within a large stone structure consisting of a long narrow playing field flanked by two walls. Over 1300 ball courts of varying sizes have been found in Mesoamerica, all with this same shape. The rules of the ballgame, regardless of the version, are not precisely known. Spanish records state that the game was played by two teams of two to four players. The ball had to be kept in the air by hitting it with the hips, thighs or upper arms and bouncing it of the side walls. Use of the hands or feet was forbidden. The solid rubber ball was extremely hard and serious injuries were commonplace. Spanish chronicler Diego Durán stated that some bruises were so severe that they had to be sliced open. He also noted that players were even killed when the ball hit them in the face or stomach.
In the religious life of the Maya the ball court was of central importance, a stage between the everyday world and the supernatural. On a basic level, the very act of preventing the ball from hitting the ground may have represented maintaining the orbit of the Sun or Venus. But the Mayan ball game was at its most significant when a Mayan lord sponsored a game or even participated himself. At these occasions the Mayan origin myths would be re-enacted, defeating the lords of the underworld and preserve human life. In these ritual games war victors would typically play against war captives in a predetermined match. The climax of such rituals was the sacrifice of a captured nobleman, ideally a ruler, whose blood was believed to be especially powerful.

          the cult of death that is present everywhere in Mexico (now I understand where it comes from)

                                                 view over the jungle from the Coba temple

  Coba - one of the highest temples from the Maya culture

                                                                 Chichen Itza

Ruta Puuc - is an official name given to a 41 km network of secondary roads through Yucatán state along which one can tour Mexico's Mayan Puuc cultural heritage. The route is marked with signs. Important sites on the route include Uxmal, Kabah, andLabna. Puuc is the Mayan word for "hills", and the Puuc region of the Yucatan is area of small rolling hills on a peninsula which is otherwise quite flat. Some travellers spend several days visiting all the sites along this route. (We've done it in 3 hours, thanks to the rain and the car we've rented.)

In Mayan archeology, the Puuc style is is characterized by the elaborate ornamentation of the facades of ceremonial buildings such as temples and palaces, using limestone quarried in the region.

                                          Xlapak entrance (me-inside si Oana-outside)

                                                                   main temple of Sayil

                                                            main temple of Sayil (1st floor)

                                                                      Fertility God

                                                           Zona Arqueologica Kabah

                                                                  Kabah main temple

                                                   

And the most important site of the Puuc route - Uxmal means "built three times" in the Mayan language. We left it till the end and great it was! because without knowing it was prepared a light and sound show directly on the monuments. At the entrance the lady didn't explained quite well that we can see the monuments and we've hesitated at first, but after entering our curiosity was rewarded with a magnificent show!!! 

           Pyramid of the magician, told by the legend that was build in only 1 day in 5 different levels

 Uxmal, as a World Heritage site, it is one of the best restored and maintained ruins in the Yucatan. Its architecture, some of the most dramatic of the Yucatan ruins, is characterized by low horizontal palaces set around courtyards, decorated with rich sculptural elements and details.

                                                                   the Snake 

The Adivino  is a stepped structure, unusual among Maya structures in that its layers' outlines are oval or elliptical in shape, instead of the more common rectilinear plan. It was a common practice in Mesoamerica to build new temple pyramids atop older ones, but here a newer pyramid was built centered slightly to the east of the older pyramid, so that on the west side the temple atop the old pyramid is preserved, with the newer temple above it. In addition, the western staircase of the pyramid is situated so that it faces the setting sun on the summer solstice.

Yucatan, Mexico PART 1

Yucatan road trip

jurnal foto