Daily Life - NOMINEE: Alexandro Auler

There are two hypotheses to explain the meaning of the word Kobane (in Arabic "Ain al-Arab") : 100 years ago in the same region located between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in the Mesopotamian plain, currently bordering Turkey with Syria, existed two villages who for a long time lived in disagreement. When the two villages reached an understanding and joined together to live together became the city of Kobane. Kon - Bani which means to live in a group or also to reconcile. The other hypothesis, to explain the name Kobane would have originated in the route of the express train of the east. The railway line that at the beginning of the century crossed the Middle East and crossed the city. The train had the brand "English company" written in wagons and the term Kobane would be an appropriation for the Kurdish dialect of the word Company. Kobane is a city located in the canton of Kobane, one of the three Kurdish Cantons of Rojava in Syria. The cantons of Kobane, Aljazira, and Afrin form the Syrian Kurdish. Kurdistan is a region of the Middle East with around 500 000 km distributed for the most part between the countries of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The name Kurdistan originates from Persian and means "land of the Kurds" was given by Sultan Seljucida Sanjar to designate a territory in the year 1150. Today the Kurds are the largest stateless ethnic group in the world. They are 26 million people mostly Muslim but also Ethiopians, Zaradishtians, Christians and atheists who speak the Kurdish language. Before the civil war, the city of Kobane had approximately 400 thousand inhabitants, after the beginning of the conflict in 2011 estimated that only 12 thousand inhabitants remained in the place. Inthe war with Syria since 2011, the city had 80% of its territory controlled by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in 2014. Since September the YPG supported by the Iraqi army " Peshmarga "and mercenaries from the Free Syrian Army managed to free the city from the"DAESH "on January 27, 2015. Despite the liberation of the city that was completely destroyed by intense air strikes by France, Turkey, and Jordan. Left the city in ruins and confrontations on land that account for approximately 2000 deaths, fighting against the "DAESH", the Arabic name for ISIS, continues on "fronts guerrillas "located to the west, east and south of the canton within a radius of 40 kilometers from the City. Even with the end of the clashes in the center of the city and very common to hear the explosions and shots that happen on the front lines mostly during the night. The largest hospital in the city was completely destroyed, leaving only a minor unit who are wounded in combat and inhabitants who need some kind of treatment. Kobane has no electricity or water supply for more than three years. Recently small markets, pharmacies, barber shops and points of sale of cellular and diesel started to work. Kobane has no currency and all kinds of deals are made with Turkish Lira. After the Syrian war that began in the Bashar Alassad government, the cantons of Rojava is controlled by Kurdish militias called the popular protection units. The YPG these units are called is the armed wing of the PKK, a democratic unity party Kurdish government that controls the city of Kobane in 2012 by enforcing the laws of the constitution of cantons of Rojava idealized by Abdulah Ocalan. Abdullah Ocalan, who is trapped in Turkey since 1999 is also called APO, an expression used to refer to the leader South African politician Nelson Mandela and also designates the leader of the Kurdish party. The APO Abdullah Ocalan was born in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa and has been the leader and founder of the PKK since 1977. He advocated the creation of a great Kurdish state, a thought that would have been modified for the founding of a democratic confederation as a solution to the ethnic and religious of the Middle East. In this way, the citizens would be free independent of creed, languageor land borders and responsible for their acts. Passing some life in harmony. In the last three weeks, the Kobane guerrilla counted a balance of 150 deaths of these approximately 50 would be casualties of the Kurdish side. In addition to those killed in combat, many have lost their lives due to accidents involving landmines and traps explosives left by the ISIS when retreating from the city center. This is the number reported by the "YPG MEDIA CENTER", which is the press office of the PKK party. Funerals do part of Kobane's routine and happen 3 or 4 times a week. Funeral processions are called "SHERID NO MIRIN" expression that can be translated as "Martyrs has life burials are events with a strong political appeal and begins in the "House of Martyrs "a kind of IML, where the bodies of the dead soldiers in combat are recognized by families and embalmed. From the House of the Martyrs, the "vans" train with the coffins, followed by almost the whole population of the city, goes to the Kobane cemetery. The contingent of the YPG militias are formed by men (YPG), women (YPJ), armed with Kalashnikov rifles, and also by a group of foreign soldiers called "International". The soldiers who make up the "International" force cannot be considered mercenaries because they do not wage war for money, but for idealism, unlike foreigners who join the Jihadists, those depending on their combat experience can earn salaries of up to 2,000 dollars per month. YPG soldiers are young men and women who abdicate the youth and pleasures of life to defend their land. The ideals of equality between men and women, who enter into the armed struggle, do not allow them to develop effective relationships or have sex with one another, for such attitudes may affect their performance at the time of the battle. These men and women make the choice to fight to have a normal life and thus become martyrs and be celebrated for having donated their lives in the name of the Kurdish people. The young suicide warriors of Kobane (YPJ) carry "TNT" bombs on the body and follow the example of martyr Arin Merxan. Arin Merxan was a YPJ warrior who fought on the MeshNor Hills in Kobane and found herself surrounded by an ISIS unit. Arin resisted for hours, almost a whole day, but realizing that he would not be able to defeat the enemies and fearing to be tortured, raped or suffered the ills of being in the hands of the Jihadists, he approached the maximum of the enemy platoon and forging to deliver himself pulled the pin of the grenade that was his belt. Arin committed suicide by detonating himself and taking along with him dozens of "DAESH" soldiers surrounding her. After Arin Merxan several women bombs committed their lives committing suicide with explosives in the name of the ideal of APO. The anniversary of Arin Merxan's death is one of the most important of Kobane's celebrations. Sheridan no Mirin, Sherid no Mirin, Sherid no Mirin. Only the martyrs have eternal life. Photos by @Alexandro Abbadie Auler.

About author:
Alexandro Abbadie Auler é um fotógrafo brasileiro nascido na cidade de Alegrete no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no coração dos Pampas Gauchos, entre as fronteiras do Uruguai e Argentina. Interessou-se pelo jornalismo aos 13 anos quando passou uma tarde no Jornal do Brasil, no cais do porto do Rio de Janeiro, para conhecer o trabalho de seu tio que era repórter do jornal. Ele teve suas primeiras fotos publicadas em 1995. De 2001 a 2010 morou na cidade de Recife trabalhando como fotojornalista do Staff do Jornal do Commercio. Nesse período teve a série de fotografias "Bandidolandia", sobre uma rebelião de presos no penitenciário Aníbal Bruno, finalista da Seleção Oficial do prêmio "Nuevo Periodismo" promovido pela Fundação Gabriel Garcia Marques. Depois de cobrir o resgate dos corpos das vítimas do acidente com o voo 447 da Air France, no arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, começou a trabalhar como armador para a Getty Images Latin America. Para Getty participou da cobertura da final da Copa Libertadores da América na cidade de Porto Alegre, o desafio das Américas em 2012 no estádio "La Bombonera" na cidade de Buenos Aires, o desfile das escolas de samba no carnaval de Marques de Sapucaí de 2011 a 2014 e o festival "Rock in Rio 2011", entre outras inúmeras capas. De 2011 a 2015 trabalhou como freelancer para jornais Lance e EXTRA na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Nos anos de 2014 e 2015 passou duas temporadas na Itália, Enquanto no "Bel Paese" fotografou protestos, promovidos por entidades de classe italiana contra o "JOBACT", plano de governo do primeiro-ministro Matteo Renzi, nas cidades: Roma, Milão, Napoli e Bolonha. No ano de 2014 foi para a Ucrânia, onde fotografou o conflito entre os rebeldes pró Rússia e do exército ucraniano nas cidades de Donetsk, Slaviansk e Kramatorsk. Durante o ano de 2015 viajou por 3 meses para a Turquia, Síria e Iraque, onde cobriu a resistência de homens e mulheres soldados curdos ao Estado Islâmico. De volta ao Brasil em 2016 é atualmente um fotógrafo freelancer representado pela agência de Nova York Redux Pictures e desenvolve trabalhos na área de fotografia documental e vídeo com DSLR, além de fornecer oficinas de fotografia documental e móvel.