Overview

Within the Yazidi community, the art of stran (folk singing) is used as a cultural and documentary tool to commemorate the victims of the genocide carried out by ISIS in 2014 in Sinjar and northern Iraq. In contexts where written documentation has historically been limited in some traditional communities, this tactic offers a practical example of how folk singing can be used to preserve collective memory and pass it on to future generations and to human rights audiences.

About the Tactic

In Yazidi culture, the term “firmān” is used to describe historical campaigns of genocide. Collective memory within the Yazidi community refers to 73 such campaigns over centuries, with the 2014 ISIS genocide considered the “74th firmān,” and recognized as genocide by international and legal bodies.

Following the 2014 genocide, singing and musical traditions evolved beyond cultural expression to become a means of re-documenting events and lived experiences. Through songs, communities recount names, places, stories, and events, transforming (stran) into a living memory of what happened. This form of documentation has often remained oral, partly due to historical fears of persecution if written records were discovered.

In many initiatives supported by local and international organizations, such as projects to record and archive Yazidi music, singing has also been closely linked to psychosocial healing. Music creates space for collective remembrance, solidarity, and emotional expression in ways that resonate with the community’s cultural identity.

Folk singing (stran/strān) is therefore not merely a traditional art form, but a vital means of preserving history, collective memory, and lived experiences over time. Historically transmitted orally from generation to generation, these songs carry narratives of daily life, major events, and shared suffering within a cultural framework. Yazidi music, rooted in a heritage spanning thousands of years, includes both religious and folk traditions that were preserved orally before being recorded.

These songs, whether religious or those recounting events such as genocide, serve as a living record of collective experience. They are performed in various social contexts, including family gatherings, religious celebrations, and commemorative events, enabling the community to share memories and identity through culturally meaningful expression.

Challenges

• Addressing the psychological and cultural sensitivity of survivors and victims’ families when recounting traumatic events through music and sound. 
• The risk of content being removed from its cultural context or misinterpreted by external audiences unfamiliar with Yazidi history and traditions.

Results

Yazidi folk singing (stran) contributes to documenting the memory of genocide in a way that is deeply rooted in local cultural identity. It goes beyond written accounts and statistics, conveying lived experience through emotional and oral expressions embedded within the community.

It also provides materials that can be used to raise awareness both locally and internationally about the violence and genocide experienced by the Yazidi people. In addition, it supports the community in reclaiming and preserving its own narrative through traditional arts, while contributing to collective healing processes for survivors and victims’ families in culturally appropriate ways.