Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy & Women’s Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan By Michael Knapp, Anja Flack & Ercan Ayboga (translated by Janet Biehl) Pluto, 2016 285 pp., $38.95 Rojava, which is Kurdish for the “west”, is to be found in Northern Syria. In the middle of a conflict zone, marked by the war against the
The Centre for Economic Development in Bulbul is working to open the first cooperative society there in a week’s time. The cooperative will be a centre for the sale and exchange of gas cylinders. In a move to develop the communal economy and block the way of monopolisers, the Centre for Economic Development in Afrin held a meeting
For years, the revolutionary movement in Syria was met with apathy and paralysis from Western leftist movements and parties. In the summer of 2014, an astonishing turn-around took place. Since then, a lot of attention has been given to the struggle of the Kurdish people in Rojava, West-Kurdistan [1]. As the resistance of fighters in the
Since its inception, The Centre for Women’s Economy has been supporting projects and cooperatives that are connected to women. Women in Rojava have proven that they are able to manage economic projects, whether agricultural or industrial. After their success in these cooperative projects, the Centre for Women’s Economy has begun to expand them. Their role is to
Avin Suleyman, an administrator in the Bulgur Factory Cooperative in Hesekê [Hesîçe / Al-Hasakah], stressed that the aim of forming the coop in the city is to give support to as many people as possible, and help those who are looking for opportunities─whether they want to make a financial contribution, or simply to work in
The first women’s agricultural cooperative society has been formed in the area of Cindirêsê in Afrîn, with the participation of twelve members from Kongreya Star, the communes and civil society in the area.
Behind the frontlines in Syria, a self-governing Kurdish region is making a radical attempt at gender equality. The brutal recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces and its allies at the end of 2016 does not bode well for another enclave of resistance: the predominantly Kurdish area in northern Syria. Here, in a long strip
”Considering the economic situation, the deterioration of the living conditions and the lives of some of the people who live around the two communes, some steps have been taken to help them and support them financially. By letting people participate in the co-operative as members and workers who sell necessities at reduced prices, we help the people to endure the living conditions in the suburbs. There are some people who live in the neighbourhood working in the two projects, and that is reducing unemployment and creating a workforce. We are aiming to increase the economic projects around the commune in order to include more people, help them and cover their needs.”
The Women’s Office in east Qamishlo [Qamişlo / Qamishli / Al-Qamishli] has opened a bakery called Lilit to make pastries and manakish. The opening was attended by many of Qamishlo’s residents, as well as members of Kongreya Star [the women’s movement umbrella structure], local councils and institutions of civil society. We headed to Qamishlo’s eastern municipality to get more information,
The Economic Committee of the canton Kobanî [Kobanê] had a meeting to decide on further steps to take. At the meeting, the committee’s new co-chairs were elected, and important decisions were taken─for example, about the creation of new cooperatives and a new union for the cooperatives. After the military victory which captured the world’s attention, Kobanê has
The militias of the YPG and YPJ are fighting in Rojava, a Syrian border region of 18,300 square kilometers that is next to Turkey and is divided in three cantons (regions): Kobanî [Kobanê / Kobane], Cizîrê [Cezîre / Jazira Canton] and Afrîn [Afrin / Efrîn]. In these territories, agriculture (wheat being the main product), and petrol are
Recognising that women are involved in all sectors of the economy in Rojava, Co-chair of the Economic Committee, Leman Hesseno, says they are strongest in agricultural cooperatives. The co-chair of the Economic Committee, Leman Hesseno, told ANF’s Beritan Sarya about the level of the development of the women’s economy and the problems they have experienced. Hesseno who
