From the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the UK and Back Again
The journeys of two men from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the United Kingdom and back.
Sarkawt Mawlod, from Ranya, left in 2017 seeking medical treatment and a more secure life. His path took him through Turkey, Greece, Italy, and France before he crossed into Britain by truck. After several years, surgeries, and separation from his children, he chose to return to Kurdistan, disillusioned by the hardships of exile and the challenges of survival abroad.
Salih Abdullah, from Chwarqurna, migrated at the end of the 1990s, escaping war, international embargo on Iraq, and economic collapse. His route was far longer and more dangerous, through Iran, Turkey, Greece, and eventually across the Aegean Sea, where he survived a sinking boat that claimed 28 lives. Settling in the UK, he immersed himself in books, culture, and language. Yet he ultimately returned to Kurdistan, affirming that exile cannot replace home.
Camera and editing: Mohammed Tahir
Producer: Renwar Najm
Renwar Najm
Renwar Najm is an Iraqi Kurdish journalist with a career that began in the early 2010s at the esteemed Awene newspaper. He holds a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Kent and Philipps University of Marburg.
