Amir Lak

I'm pictured here wearing traditional Bakhtiari clothing

I was born a proud Bakhtiari in Iran. Sadly I lost my father during the Iran / Iraq war but I live with his memory and was raised by a loving mother and my brothers. 

From a young age, I've always been interested in fitness and fell in love with wrestling. I got really competitive and successful when living in Iran. I'd have loved to represent Iran in the Olympics. Sadly, it wasn't to be.

I had to leave Iran when I was in my early 20s. I felt I had no choice and circumstances meant I needed to leave my family behind. I went from being a young aspiring wrestler to a refugee overnight. I managed to get through to Turkey and Greece, and eventually was granted asylum to the UK in 2014.

For a time I lived in some parts of London but finally settled in Wales, first in Swansea for a short while and have lived in Cardiff since 2017. I love it here. Life is so much safer now. I miss Iran, of course, and I miss my family, but we still talk and I look forward to our video chats.

But I'm settled in Cardiff now. Now in my thirties, I have revived my wrestling career and won national competitions representing Wales. I want to push this forward, win more awards and one day coach future stars. I have close ties with the Welsh Wrestling Association and hope that I can achieve more.

I am passionate about bringing communities together too and always want to meet more Iranians in Wales. I recently created a page on Instagram which does just that - and is gathering more followers. My hope is that it grows further and I can connect with more people locally.

A People's Migration: The Bakhtiari Kuch

A People’s Migration is a contemporary photographic essay of an Iranian nomad family, migrating on foot over 3000m mountains in South West Iran.

Traditionally, twice a year, the nomadic Bakhtiari tribe spend weeks trekking kuch (their traditional migration) with their flocks and families from their winter to their summer pastures. This ancient way of life is now vanishing fast. More and more Bakhtiari are leaving the mountains altogether; whilst those who do remain use trucks or tractors to transport their animals and the family belongings. A People’s Migration is a stunning visual journey documenting a way of life which will soon vanish forever.