About HJIROK

In Mesopotamia, the land between two rivers, water has become precious. This used to begarden Eden, now the water has gone, the earth dried up, exposed and naked under the sun. Goats and sheep flee the mountains, driven by thirst, dying on the way.Rivers and streams have become trickles, as the land lies dry. It is a man made drought. An answer to those who took without limits and beyond reason. Nature provided for them until they chose to suck to the last drop, to harvest to the last seed, to ignore their origin, to build castles on mutilated soil. Here, in the valleys of Kurdistan, under the waterfalls, lives Hjirok. Eternal soul, life giver, water bound spirit, she waits. The character of Hjirok was created by Hani Mojtahedy as a reflection on the human impact on climate and nature from the beginning of the Anthropocene until now. Extreme heat, sandstorms and water shortage hit the Kurdish region with full force. They are tangible results of climate change, posing more and more threats year for year. Ecosystems are collapsing. Deer and other wildlife are fading out of the region as their natural habitat is destroyed by extreme weather conditions and lack of water. Hjirok, as a spirit of the water, is evoking the return to a holistic view on this region. In this context, water can be seen as a symbol of life and fertility. A resource, which reaches its limits, consequently causing conflict in nature and between the involved nations of the region in a fight for survival. Hjirok still waits in her element, among waterfalls, for mankind to return to her and accept her gifts in their intrinsic meaning instead of choosing exploitation. It is not too late, she sings.In 2021 and 2022 Hani Mojtahedy traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan to find back to the roots of the transcendental sounds of the Kurdish region. In Hawraman, close to the Iranian border, Hani send her voice onto a journey across the frontiers of time and space. In the valley of Hjirok, sacred ground for the Ezidis, they gathered extensive field recordings, lending their ear to the soundscape of wind, mountains and the living beings crossing through

Hjirok is a wonderful team work with the producer Andi Toma (Mouse On Mars).