Rojava is proof that a more beautiful world is possible...

Who are the Kurds?

For thousands of years, the Kurdish people have lived in an area of land in the Middle East home to the ancient valley of Mesopotamia — the so-called cradle of civilisation. Kurdistan is spread across the borders of the modern states of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

The Kurdish people have been resisting genocide and occupation by Turkey since 1923. Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdish Freedom Movement, was kidnapped by Turkey in 1999 and has been held in solitary confinement ever since.

What is Rojava?

In 2012, during the chaos of the Syrian civil war, the Kurdish people overthrew the forces of Bashir Al-Assad's regime. They declared the area along the border with Turkey the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) — or Rojava.

What is Democratic Confederalism?

Rojava is founded on the ideology of Democratic Confederalism: a system built on the three principles of Direct Democracy, Women's Liberation, and Ecology. It's a new way of thinking about power and governance that puts local people at the heart of decision making.

In a Democratic Confederation, decisions are made at the local level and a trusted delegate is chosen to share this with the next level of the Confederation — for example, a city-wide Assembly. This is different from an MP or Councillor: in our representative 'democracy' we only vote every 5 years, and whoever wins the election can vote against our interests with no accountability.

The most local unit is the Commune, a grouping of families who meet regularly. The equivalent for us would be the street or neighbourhood Assembly. There are also regional and national Assemblies, to enable cooperation at scale, but decisions flow upwards from the Autonomous cities and communes, rather than being imposed by the state.

What is Jineology?

Jineology — or women's science — is central to how the Kurdish Freedom Movement understand history. They argue that patriarchy is the foundation of other forms of oppression, and it must be dismantled to achieve a free society. The Women's Defense Forces (The YPJ) played a critical role in defeating ISIS and liberating millions of women from slavery.

Rojava and Ecology

In Rojava, ecological sustainability is a principle of life. The aim is to heal the land while supporting communities, by setting up worker's cooperatives that plant trees and grow food locally. Domination of nature is understood as a symptom of our dysfunctional society. In order to protect the Earth, we must build a democratic society that values all life.

Feel inspired?

So do we. Cooperation Hull is working to build better systems, right here in Hull: a healthy Earth, a solidarity economy, strong communities, and local democracy.

It all starts with People's Assemblies — replacing party politics with people power. We need 2,000 people to support the Hull People’s Assembly. Help us build real democracy by signing the pledge today.

Here now,

then everywhere.

28 February 2024

By Cooperation Hull