Salih Kaya is 55 years old. He is one of the thousands of people who had to migrate from his village to Diyarbakır due to the conflicts that took place in the 1990s. Kaya, who only dealt with agriculture and animal husbandry in his village life, found a solution in buying a rickshaw to continue his life in the city.

Carrying loads since 1992

He has been trying to make a living by carrying loads on the streets of Diyarbakır with the rickshaw he bought with the support of tradesmen in 1992. However, despite the passing years, his life has not become easier. Kaya says that he can earn a maximum of 40 TL per day and that this money is spent on basic needs in a few minutes.

“This is not life, it really is not life. You see our situation, we are tired of it,” he says and openly expresses the fatigue and hopelessness he feels.

The invisible workers of the city

Salih Kaya’s story reveals the struggle for life of the daily workers, the invisible face of the city. The poverty, unemployment and despair that come with migration are carried from street to street on the wheels of a rickshaw every day.

A social reality

Salih Kaya’s life is not just an individual drama; it also reflects the common fate of many migrants and poor workers in the city. The social and economic collapse caused by the migration from the village to the city still leaves deep marks on the lives of many families.

A silent witness to a struggle for bread

Salih Kaya carries not only a burden but also hope, fatigue and the struggle to hold on to life on the streets he goes out on his rickshaw every morning. He and others like him are invisible but indispensable parts of city life. And their stories deserve to be heard and seen.