The following is an interview conducted by activists of the Kurdish Women’s Movement with Samia Walid, activist of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan). Can you please tell us about the history and mission of RAWA? What were Afghan women’s conditions when your organization was first formed? What is your role in society? How…
We are now in the middle of the year 2021, and we can now venture to understand some of the fundamental trends of this year. Every political phase has its own dynamics. Actors, topics and places come to the fore, while aspects that previously seemed spectacular are forgotten. From the point of view of us…
In an extensive interview, Besê Hozat and Cemil Bayik, co-Chairs of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union (KCK), talk about what true independence means for Kurdistan, noncapitalist economic policies, the situation in Rojava, the achievements of the PKK in all four parts of Kurdistan, the attitude of the Freedom Movement towards other…
Five years have now passed since 22-year-old trans activist Hande Kader was found dead in Istanbul. She was murdered after she had been subjected to the most horrific violence. She was known in the queer community for her resistance to police violence during the 2015 Istanbul Pride. Three years after, her friend Didem Akay committed…
On July 30-31, 2021, the 2nd Conference of Women from the Middle East and North Africa was held in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Nearly 100 women from Lebanon, all four parts of Kurdistan, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Sudan, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco participated in the conference under the slogan “With the unity of…
The Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom has been waged for decades under the leadership of the PKK and along the lines of Rêber Apo’s [Abdullah Öcalan’s] ideas. In its course, it has led to important achievements not only in Kurdistan, Turkey and the Middle East, but worldwide. With each passing day, it becomes clearer that…
The Kurds represent one of the oldest cultures of Western Asia, and their struggle for justice and peace — even just basic recognition! — represents one of the world’s most significant and least understood movements. There are many other such peoples and movements, which we know little about due to media distortion, and its “Manufacturing…
Many people and movements recently struggled to make sense of the United States’ tactical alliance with the Kurdish people in the fight against ISIS. “How could a revolutionary movement allow itself to be co-opted by imperialism today?”, they wondered. Much of these analyses however derive from dogmatic approaches with little concern for the people and…
Around the world, currently, thousands of people, especially youth, protest and demand action against climate change. Under the slogan Fridays for future global strikes and mass demonstrations took place on March 15th. In light of the statistics and prognoses about the causes and effects of climate change over the last few years, the climate question…
We are now two decades into the 21st century. On a world scale, humanity is already facing the consequences of ecological disasters driven by climate change, massive air pollution and exhaustion of natural resources and shrinking biodiversity. Following some, this ecological crisis is the result of productivism, consumerism and anthropocentred relation towards nature. These affirmations…
