The phrase ‘Geography is a destiny’ attributed to Ibn Khaldun here corresponds to the saying ‘geography is grief’, not to mention that it is destiny. The sadness of poverty, unemployment, being expatriate, being ignored. The geography of your dreams, unaware of what will happen to you on your way, to go far, far away from the lands you were born and grew up in. The sadness of not being able to hear from his son, whose smell he can’t get enough of. An aging grief. A sickening grief. A deadly grief. For two years, no news has been heard from Kurdish youth Mihemed Mîrza Mîrza, whose road was passing through Turkey.
The poem Hemoyê Piçûk by the famous Kurdish poet Şerko Bekes is like the summary of the story of Kurdish Mihemed Mîrza Mîrza, who shakes the dreams in their pockets while passing through the borders and has not been heard from for 2 years
“…
No one left
other than god
I believe that in the other world too
God
to shine your shoes
He will call a Kurd.
Who can say, “I am not that Kurd.”
oh mom,
How big do you think God’s feet are?
What size is she wearing?
money!
Mommy, how much do you think God will pay?”
The call of Mîrza’s mother, Şirîn Mîro, who traveled for miles, traveled from city to city and pushed the limits to find him, pushes the hearts of our hearts: “I have been looking for him on all the roads my son has passed through for 8 months. Where is my son?”
Thousands of refugees who want to go to Europe and have to pass through Turkey come to Van, which is located on the Turkey-Iran border line. These transitions are accompanied by stories, hopes and aspirations carried in his pocket, and most of all, he gets stuck in the sharp corner of humanity. Here is one of those stories, the story of Mîrza, whose poem we like Bekes’ poetry. There is no news from Mirza, who left Syria on March 16, 2020 to go to Europe and crossed the borders of Erbil, Iran and Turkey, respectively. His mother, Şirîn Mîro, has been following her son’s footsteps in many borders and cities ever since, tirelessly and tirelessly.
Mîrza chose the most difficult, in order to be able to reunite with his mother quickly…
Mihemed Mîrza Mîrza, who was educated in Erbil, sets out with his friends after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call that the border gates in Edirne are opened for refugees in Turkey to go to Europe. Mîrza, whose mother lives in Denmark, sees illegal routes shorter to get there due to the long legal procedures and prefers it. Hope, she chooses the shortest but the hardest way to go to her mother. However, the biggest problem when the President made this call was the prohibition of crossings on the Turkey-Iran border line.
‘The villagers here reported us to the gendarme and we were caught’
Setting off from Erbil, Mîrza first comes to Iran, then to Turkey, through the human smuggler named Ehmed Soran, whom he has contracted with. In the voice message he sent to his mother in the Hangeldi Village of Çaldıran, one of the border districts of Van, Mîrza says the following: “I crossed the border. Im in Turkey now. I will be a guest in this village.”
After this voice message, Mirza sends a second voice message to his mother. In this message, he says: “We walked towards the village. The villagers here reported us to the gendarme and we were caught.”
After these two voice messages, there is no news from Mîrza. Şirîn Miro, who hit the roads because she could not hear from her son, first goes to Iran and then to the Iraqi Federal Kurdistan Region.
The conscience that cannot turn from the corner of humanity; Those who said that they will find their son deceived Mîro
Trying to find her son first through embassies, consulates, courts and judges, Mîro tries to find the smugglers that her son has agreed with after no results. But everyone who says they will find her son does not help by taking large sums of money from her.
Mîro, who finally came to Turkey, is meeting with the Governor of Van, Mehmet Emin Bilmez. As a result of this meeting, Mîro, who asks for help from Bilmez, is looking for his son with the personnel assigned to help him. But unfortunately, he can’t find any trace of it again.
Şirîn Mîro
‘As a mother, I’ve been looking for her for months’
As a last resort, Mîro appeals to state officials and people in all three countries that her son has chosen as a route:
“My son was 21 when he set out. Currently 23 years old. I haven’t heard from him for 2 years. I’ve been looking for him on all the roads took for exactly 8 months. I applied to all government agencies in Iran and hired a lawyer. But I didn’t get any results. Many people defrauded me by taking money from me saying that I will find your son. I beg you, find my child! As a mother, I’ve been looking for him for months. I call out to all people; help me. Now I want to find my son.”
Video: Dildar Guler
Montage: Hakan Aslan
Translator: Akif Coskun
