Rojava, women, Syria, Kurdistan, YPJ

In Syria, an Egalitarian, Pluralist Experiment with Direct Democracy Faces off with the Islamic State

  The Western media relentlessly relays decapitations, calls for murder and barbarities perpetrated by Daesh, the so-called “Islamic state”. However, in the face of this barbarity, the Kurdish, Arab and Yezidi peoples of the Rojava region of northern Syria are implementing another model of society: emancipatory, egalitarian, multi-confessional, and very democratic; an experience that could even serve

First Gas and Petrol Cooperative Opens in Afrin Canton

The Centre for Economic Development in the area of Bulbul in Afrin Canton [Kantona Efrînê‎ / Afrîn] has opened the first cooperative society for the exchange of gas bottles and sale of petrol in the village of Kotana, with the aim of creating a self-sufficient economy and to revive the spirit of cooperation. The cooperative has the participation of

The Living Conditions in Rojava

The challenges that the people face in Rojava The living conditions have become like the straw that broke the camel’s back. With the increase of refugees from other parts of Syria and Iraq, particularly from Mosul, the burden has increased for all the people in Jazira [Kantona Cizîrê‎ / Cezîre]. The average income Most workers in the region
Rojava, Syria

Being Part of the Revolution ─ statement from the Internationalist Commune of Rojava

About the work of internationalists in the civil institutions of Rojava The revolution of all kinds of relationships existing in society has been going on in Rojava for 6 Years now, but is far from being completed – if such a thing as completion is even possible. It is on the contrary at it‘s very
Amed, Diyarbakir, Kurdistan, Turkey, village, cooperative, coops

Amed Village Production and Sales Cooperative Initiative, an interview

We [Meydan anarchist newspaper] share with you the interview we have conducted with the Amed Village Production and Sales Cooperative Initiative, practising relations of solidarity and cooperative relations of production and consumption in Amed [Diyarbakır], a city where the economy hegemony and plundering projects of the state are abundant. Meydan: How did the Amed Village Production and
Rojava, Syria, Kurdistan, economy, cooperatives, coops

Women in Rojava to hold first “North Syria Women’s Economy Conference”

The Women’s Economy Committee is setting a new precedent by convening the North Syria Women’s Economy Conference. Mediya Serxwebûn talks about how the number of cooperatives in Rojava has reached 50, and states that they will come up with a three year plan based on their experience. Qamishlo [Qamişlo / Qamishli / Al-Qamishli] ─ Rojava is
Kurdistan, Iraq, Bashur, Sulaymaniyah

Between two Kurdistans: a Russian anthropologist’s journey in search of self-government

In an effort to get through to the Syrian Kurdish autonomous region, I met kindred spirits and found out more about the political and cultural landscape of Iraqi Kurdistan. Русский Tossing about on a broken bed in a cheap hostel in the centre of Sulaymaniyah, I was struggling to fall asleep. The sun hadn’t come up

Kasrek Co-operative Begins Harvest

Dirbêsiyê ─ With the start of June, agricultural and livestock co-operative Kasrek [Qesrik], the largest co-operative society of Jazira Canton [Kantona Cizîrê‎ / Cezîre], began harvesting their rain-fed and irrigated crops. They will distribute the profits among 5,300 members. Kasrek Co-operative, a project of The Centre for Economy in Derbesiye‎ [Dirbêsiyê / Al-Darbasiyah], is considered the largest co-op in Jazira

First Women Economy Conference started in North Syria

150 delegates from Rojava-North Syria are taking part in the 1st conference of Women Economy in Rojava-North Syria.

Women’s Economy Spreads from Rojava to Aleppo

Kongreya Star continues supporting the women’s economy in Aleppo and creating appropriate jobs for women, by starting small projects to allow them to become self-sufficient and improve their own economy by themselves. Women in Aleppo have been suffering from the crisis for six long years; the war has caused a lot of poverty. They have been through harsh circumstances
Rojava, Syria, coops, economy

The Basic Principle of the Economy in Rojava: Involve Everyone in Production

The basic principle of the economic policies of the Assad regime in Rojava was to keep the people poor and deprived in order to maintain their dependence. The Jazira [Cizîrê‎ / Cezîre] and Kobanî [Kobanê] cantons served as the breadbasket of Syria. Before the revolution, forty percent of the wheat consumed in the country came from Rojava, and agriculture is

Greenhouses for Autonomy in Van, North Kurdistan

In the village Norkox (Yolaşan) near Payîzava (Gürpınar) in the eastern Turkish province Van [Wan], Metin Demir and Nadir Abdullah started an agrarian initiative for the local population. Usually, the locals travelled every year to western Turkey for seasonal work, but now there is a local alternative: collective greenhouses have been opened. Vegetables, cucumbers, aubergine and