Moscow hosts photo exhibition about Yazidis and Kurds living in southern Russia

On March 1-14, the Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre in Moscow holds a photo exhibition by Yuri Ivaschenko entitled "The Eradicated", presenting a series of documentary photos about two nationalities living in the south of Russia - Yazidis and Batumi Kurds-Kurmanches.

According to the author, he was visiting several villages of the Apsheron District, Krasnodar Territory, for a whole year, where he made photos of the everyday life, traditions and rituals of the two nations. He "studied how Yazidis and Kurds preserve their identity and cooperate with their neighbours." The aim of his works, according to the author, was not to surprise the viewer with exotic realities of these people's life, but to show from inside what it means to be different: believe another religion and belong to another culture, which seem mysterious and strange from aside.

"Initially, I just had an idea of telling about Kurds and Yazidis - something interesting, and show their unusual cultural component. Later I understood that it was important to report their histories to the broad audience. Some of them have no Russian citizenship. They arrived in the Territory on the eve of the USSR collapse, and not of them could get Russian passports later," said Ivaschenko.

He has noted that "it was a bit difficult" to stay within totally different ethnos. "Because of plenty of problems that this small ethnic group faces, its members are not so willingly to contact," said the photographer. Still, Yuri Ivaschenko managed to film a wedding party and a funeral, all peculiarities of these ceremonies in Kurds.

See earlier reports: ""Amnesty International" states racial discrimination in the Krasnodar Territory," "Directive makes people homeless," "Monitoring of the Condition of Ethnic Minorities in the Krasnodar Territory. Autumn 2003/Winter 2003-04."