It is impossible to pass through places like Raqqa, Minbic or Kobane without confronting the reality of war, among the destroyed buildings but at the same time, the rebuilding of the cities that is still in progress. The destruction caused is still visible, but besides the fact of the destruction, what influenced me during the days of our tour to get to know Rojava, was how much the energy of this youth overflowed. This is what enchanted me the most.
In the summer of 2023, Mount Cudi is once again the site of significant wildfires, marking a recurring environmental challenge that has profound implications for the region which is an important part of the Kurdish geography. This event brings to the forefront an interview with Zozan Pehlivan, an environmental historian of the modern Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, and Ottoman Kurdistan, conducted in 2020, now translated into English by MedyaNews, that explores the intricate connections between ecology, economy, and history in Turkey, Kurdistan and beyond.
The people of Rojava and North-east Syria gave a lot of sacrifices, struggled so much and built so much with their own hands. They are connected to this revolution in such a way that it’s a part of them.
Let’s reflect on the great achievements of the Rojava revolution in north and east Syria in the face of great adversity: the unification of communities deliberately divided on the basis of religion and ethnicity by dictatorial states and the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist movements alike; the liberation and empowerment of women in the face of the reactionary rollbacks imposed by the later; the embryonic attempts to reorganise the economy on a cooperative and ecologically sustainable basis; and the establishment of inclusive grassroots democracy based on the democratic confederalist ideas developed by long-imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The “Cizre Dam” project to be built on the Tigris River in Cizre was approved. Many settlements will be flooded by the new dam.
The Women’s Economy Committee in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, promotes women’s economic empowerment by developing projects that serve women, preserving women’s rights and preventing women’s exploitation.
The Syrian pound has lost its value against the dollar ten times over since 2020, and hundreds of times since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011 – fuelling a worsening economic catastrophe across the country, including in the autonomous, Kurdish-led region of North and East Syria (NES). Locals report markets empty of customers, and a daily struggle to put bread on the table. Medya News spoke to Cheleng Omar, a leading Syrian Kurdish economist, to ask what steps can be taken to ameliorate the crisis.
The Aboriya Jin (women’s economy) committee of North and East Syria has started buying wheat at the Tekil Beqil cooperative.
Women’s House, one of the networks created to solve the problems faced by women, leads social change in the Qamishlo Canton of North and East Syria.
As a group of internationalists from different places in the world, being involved in different structures in Rojava we were part of a tour in the region of north and east Syria, the region organized as the Autonomous Administration.
Bedia Şimay and Bedriye Tırak are the owners of a handicraft shop located in the Sur district of Amed. Two sisters sell the crafts made by women living in provinces such as Batman, Mardin, and Siirt in their shop to earn a livelihood. “We have provided employment opportunities for hundreds of women until now,” Bedia Şimay said.
The majority of residents of northeastern Syria suffer from electricity and water shortage, especially drinking water. These problems are caused by the severe and continuous decline in the level of Euphrates River, and Turkey’s withholding of its water.
