Henar is a video work that explores social issues through a female perspective, shedding light on the often-invisible women whose quiet resilience and achievements drive meaningful societal change.

The project originated from a rare and overlooked archive: a collection of interview footage recorded in the early 1990s by an anonymous archivist known as Runak. These interviews, filmed in an intimate and raw style, captured the voices of women who were seldom seen or heard in public discourse. Through a careful and sensitive editing process, the footage was reassembled to preserve the anonymity of the speakers while revealing their powerful narratives.

To protect the women’s identities, all faces and names were deliberately anonymised. Each interview was fully transcribed and translated into English, a meticulous and collaborative process that involved consulting with friends and family to ensure that cultural nuances, idioms, and emotional undertones were faithfully preserved. Recognising the challenges that might arise from culturally specific references, I created a small accompanying glossary to help international viewers navigate the complex traditions, expressions, and contexts within the work.

Henar is not only a tribute to the hidden women of history, but also a reflection on the politics of voice, memory, and visibility. It invites viewers to listen carefully to the echoes of untold stories, and to consider how history is shaped by those who are so often left out of the frame.

A Concise glossary which accompanied the Hanar- هەنار video: decoding the complexities of early age marriage in the dialogue, 

Betrothed: when the girl gets engaged at a very early age to a much older man. After she grows up, she must wait to get married to the man who is betrothed to her. She doesn’t have a choice but rather to wait for him. 

Divorced or get free: This is to ensure future freedom from the man to whom they are betrothed. It usually involves a commitment from the bride’s family to pay a certain amount of money to the groom’s family for their daughter to be released from the engagement. 

Elopement: When a couple decides to get married on their own and runs away to do so without their family’s permission. 

Exchange: When a couple marries by choice, the groom’s family is obligated to give a girl to the bride’s family in return. If the groom’s family doesn’t have a girl available, they must wait for a newborn baby girl. This child is then promised as a future bride to the bride’s family, a practice called ‘cradle betrothal.’ Additionally, if a family can’t afford a wife for their son, they may exchange their daughter with another family to secure a marriage for their son. 

Married: The young girls in the footage have no sexual relationship with the men they are married to, yet. This arrangement is similar to ‘mahr,’ but without the groom’s family paying the girl’s family. 

Vow: The family of the 5-month-old baby makes a contract with the groom’s family (whose son will be the husband of the baby girl when she grows up). This agreement obligates the baby to become a bride for their son when she reaches a certain age.