Khalil Koto
“Kurds carry their homeland on their backs. When you leave them, your country goes with you. And the memories remain in your heart.” This is a life wisdom shared by his grandfather Khalil Koto as he flees with his Kurdish family from Syria to Germany in 2014. When the civil war in Syria began in 2011, the Koto family lived in Afrin in northwestern Syria, where electrical engineer Khalil Koto was managing a branch of the Ministry of Energy. Soon, peaceful demonstrations against the Assad regime turned into bloody battles between rebels and the government. More and more people were killed, and hundreds of thousands chose to flee. In April 2014, the Koto family also decided to leave their homeland. There were hardly any food, water, or electricity left in Afrin. Additionally, father Khalil had lost his job over a year ago. The government had wanted to transfer him back to Aleppo. For Khalil Koto, this was unthinkable: “How could that happen? There is war in Aleppo. Our old apartment is destroyed. Then they dismissed me.” Initially, the family went to Turkey to stay with Khalil Koto’s mother, who lives in Istanbul. However, Khalil Koto could not find work there either, and the family decided to flee to Germany in July 2014. This decision was influenced in part by his brother, who was already in Europe and living with his family in London: “He told me that it would be very good for my family if I went to Germany. They would take care of me, and based on my certificates and work experience, I might find a job – maybe.” The family spent six months initially in refugee camps in Bulgaria before applying for asylum in Dortmund and being assigned to Bremen. Since November 2014, the family has lived in Bremerhaven. The children attend school or undertake vocational training. Khalil initially worked in wind energy in Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven. He is now undergoing further training in electrical automation. He and two of his children have a residence permit.
A portrait of Khalil Koto is one of the faces visible on the facade of the new German Emigration Center since June 2021. Before the inauguration of the extension with the artistically designed facade, the Nordsee-Zeitung introduced the individuals behind the faces. You can watch the corresponding film portrait of Khalil Koto here.