DURKET SÜREN

Istanbul – Stuffed mussel, which is known as an Armenian and Greek snack, has begun to be made and sold by people, who were forcibly displaced in the 1990s to big cities such as Istanbul and Izmir. In these cities, stuffed mussels have become the main source of income for especially people of Mardin province. Recently, the municipalities have banned people from collecting, selling mussels and these bans prevent thousands of people to not from earning a living from making and selling stuffed mussels. Despite the bans, people continue to make stuffed mussels in their basements in the Tarlabaşı neighborhood of Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district. We went to the neighborhood to interview them but most of them rejected to speak to us due to the bans. Xecê Çivak, who is from Mardin province, and Didar Nahme, who is from the Dirbêsiyê city of Rojava, accepted to speak to us about how they make stuffed mussels and challenges and financial difficulties they face.

“We had to immigrate and make stuffed mussels”

The family of Xecê Çivak is one of the families having been forcibly displaced from Mardin province in the 1990s. “I was a child when we had to leave our hometown. We were forcibly displaced from Mardin. We had financial difficulties when we moved to Istanbul. We were poor, strangers, and couldn’t go anywhere. We began to think about what we could do to earn a living. Then, we began to make stuffed mussels. I have lived in Istanbul for years. I got married and had children here,” Xecê Çivak told us.

Stating that making stuffed mussels is not an easy job, Xecê Çivak told us how they make stuffed mussels as follows:

“We begin to work at 5 am until noon. The mussels are washed in old roller washing machines, and then they are washed again after several processes. We open their shells, clean and boil them. And then, we sell them. We make them because we have to. Making them is not an easy job.”

Xecê Çivak makes stuffed mussels for a fee. Noting that she is one of the women, who have to do this job despite the difficult conditions, Xecê Çivak continues to talk as follows: “Mussels are brought from the sea in sacks. We buy them. After making stuffed mussels, we give them to the owners of stalls and kiosks to sell them. We earn a living in this way because making ends meet is very difficult now. Everything is very expensive now. I have to do this job for my children. This job causes many diseases. Most of us suffer from a herniated disc, knee pain, and calluses on our hands. It is a difficult job for women but we have to do it. If we weren’t poor, we wouldn’t do this job. But we have to do it.”

“Municipality causes trouble”

Stating that police officers and municipal police officers cause trouble for them, Xecê Çivak said that they cause trouble because Kurdish people do this job.

“The municipality also causes troubles. We are Kurdish that’s why they prevent us from earning a living. They first forced us to displace from our village, and now they prevent us from earning a living. We couldn’t work during the lockdowns imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We prepare rice mixed with cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, and onions. After filling the mussels with rice, we boil them. And then, we sell them in bags to buyers. Almost all people living in Tarlabaşı earn a living by doing this job. They do this job in the basements of the buildings.”

“Working conditions are very hard but I have to work”

Didar Nahme is from the Dirbêsiyê city of Rojava. Her family settled in the Tarlabaşı neighborhood of Istanbul's Beyoğlu district eight years ago. She told us how she learned to make stuffed mussels as follows:

“We are from Dirbêsiyê. We have lived in Istanbul for eight years. We couldn’t work for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When we moved here, the people of the neighborhood taught us how to make stuffed mussels. My children also work. My husband is not here so we have difficulties earning a living. Working conditions are very hard but I have to work to earn a living for my family. My children try to support me. I work 12 hours a day.”