“The Rojava Revolution in Northern Syria: An experiment in radical democracy, feminism and ecology” is the title of a conference to be held here over June 30 and July 1.
A joint project of the Australians for Kurdistan solidarity group and the Kurdish Democratic Community Centre (formerly the Kurdish Association of Victoria), the event aims to spread knowledge about the Rojava Revolution and build support for it.
For six years Syria has been engulfed in a terrible war. The original democratic revolt against the Assad regime has given way to a brutal multi-sided conflict. But in the midst of this carnage, under threat on all sides, the freedom struggle in Rojava is a shining beacon of hope. Initially a struggle for Kurdish self-determination, the liberation forces have established the Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria as a model for a multi-ethnic, federal and socially just Syria.
Defended by its male and female fighters, today an all-out effort is being put into building a radical commune-style democracy. Unprecedented efforts are being made to empower women. A new society is being created where Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmen and other ethnic and religious groups can live together in harmony and cooperation.
Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish-based Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the most prominent representative of the Democratic Federal System, will be a keynote speaker.
German feminist and Kurdish solidarity activist Anja Flach is another confirmed international guest. She has made numerous visits to Kurdistan over the years and is a co-author of Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women’s Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan. Flach will also speak at post-conference meetings in Melbourne and Sydney.
Australian-Kurdish activist Hawzhin Azeez, a member of the Kobane Reconstruction Board, will address the conference via Skype. Kobane, like all the liberated territories, is blockaded by Turkey and its ally, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, making any travel in or out very difficult.
[The conference will be held at the city campus of Victoria University in Flinders Street, Melbourne. Tickets may be purchased . A draft agenda will be posted soon at .]
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