NEWS CENTER – I Learned To Laugh In The Mountains you know, before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh. However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… In that crowded forest, the two of them catch my eye first. Actually, I don’t see them first, I hear them. These days when green is real green and blue is real blue, the nooks and crannies of the forests are the perfect accommodation for the guerrillas. Although it is a bit of a problem to find water in the forests, huge oak trees do not neglect to leave enough water for these young Kurdish children. Surely in a nook, in a corner where no one visits, they allocate a small spring to this fledgling guerrillas… I wander through a whole forest to find them. Their voices are coming from somewhere in the forest, but i can’t figure out where they are. I also know that trees don’t echo. But I cannot understand from which direction these voices that reach my ears, beyond the voices, these smiles come from. I guess it was a mistake to set out in the midday heat. But because of all these laughter, I can’t give up and go back.
The oxygen level in the air is so high that I get dizzy from time to time. The light hurts my eyes so much that I can’t distinguish the shades of green. I know, trees near water tend to have darker greens. But I can feel neither light green nor dark green right now. We couldn’t set out at this hour, but what should we do… Laughter that I can barely distinguish between the sounds of squirrels and birds is my best guide. I am trying to walk in the direction where the smiles come from among the dense trees. Today it seems as if the whole forest is laughing at me. Although I know that I will soon meet young people who make this forest ring with their laughter and participate in this nature in their most natural form, I can’t help but think about what they are laughing at. What is it that makes these children laugh so much and make them so happy? I am aware that my own situation is not good at all. Extremely hot, unbearable thirst, and the mosquitoes circling all over me are unbearable. But this sincere laughter coming from the forest tempts me, it is enough for me to be happy. I stop and laugh at myself. Where are these happy children hiding… It’s not the time to think about photography, but I can’t help but record the owners of these smiles, these happy children, on film somehow. I take a short break and prepare my camera and continue again. After a while, I see the owners of the smiles among the trees. They are not yet aware of me. They don’t even know about my thirst. But I know them both… One is named Serhat, the other is Kawa… One is twenty-three years old, the other is twenty-four… One of them was born in the villages of Adıyaman and the other in Qamishlo. Someone left the streets of Istanbul and came, the other is the back quarters of Aleppo… One has spoken Turkish throughout his life, the other Arabic… Now both of them are laughing in Kurdish on this mountain top, in this forest, in the middle of this fierce war…
I used to believe that every photograph has a story. I learned in these mountains that some stories also create photographs. Once again I realize that capturing a moment comes before a glass of water. Thislaughing children’s laughter makes me forget my thirst for a moment. They continue to ring through the lush forest. Thousands of soldiers are clustered around them, the oldest states of the Middle East are making agreements on them, they are launching coordinated operations, who cares… They are laughing to their heart’s content… As soon as I delete the term that hurt my eyes, I press the shutter button. I think the biggest reason why I stayed in the mountains for years is the frames I captured. I slowly approach them. As soon as they notice me, they shut up. Don’t be silent, laugh to your heart’s content, I mean, it doesn’t work. Once I entered their environment. I know, the smile they tucked between their lips looks like a bird ready to fly at any moment. If I touch them, they will all start laughing together again. My situation must not be very pleasant, Kawa runs to get water. I’m sitting next to Serhat. I don’t have a word to say. His eyes are shining brightly. His eyes are still smiling. I don’t care what they’re laughing at. But I will not ask. I saw how they laughed, that’s enough for me. Kawa comes with a big jar in his hand. While I am drinking water, Serhat speaks as if he has read all my thoughts. You know, before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh. However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… The last words of Serhat, this little sage, stuck in my brain like a harpoon, pinning me to the beginning of this article. It is the cause of my insomnia in the forest, which makes me think all night long. I don’t care what they’re laughing at. But I will not ask. I saw how they laughed, that’s enough for me. Kawa arrives with a big drum in hand. While I am drinking water, Serhat speaks as if he has read all my thoughts. You know, before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh.
However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… The last words of Serhat, this little sage, stuck in my brain like a harpoon, pinning me to the beginning of this article. It is the cause of my insomnia in the forest, which makes me think all night long. I don’t care what they’re laughing at. But I will not ask. I saw how they laughed, that’s enough for me. Kawa comes with a big jar in his hand. While I am drinking water, Serhat speaks as if he has read all my thoughts. You know, before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh. However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… The last words of Serhat, this little sage, stuck in my brain like a harpoon, pinning me to the beginning of this article. It is the cause of my insomnia in the forest, which makes me think all night long. Before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh. However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… The last words of Serhat, this little sage, stuck in my brain like a harpoon, pinning me to the beginning of this article. It is the cause of my insomnia in the forest, which makes me think all night long. Before I came to the mountains, I wasn’t laughing so much, I couldn’t laugh. However, among my friends, I can be happy in this forest, I can laugh with peace of mind. You know, I learned to laugh in the mountains… The last words of Serhat, this little sage, stuck in my brain like a harpoon, pinning me to the beginning of this article. It is the cause of my insomnia in the forest, which makes me think all night long.
Martyr Halil Dağ / Forgive Me
