After the Fall: Dispatches from the Women's Revolution in North-East Syria

Episode Five: First Newroz After the Fall

Our final episode takes us to the Newroz celebrations in Qamislo, where we see Syrian musician Samih Choukeir perform. Once back in Montreal, Virginia talks to Khuzama and Cedric from the media project Fajawat about the importance of Choukeir's performance and their perspectives on the changing climate in Syria. Newroz 2025 was openly celebrated in Damascus for the first time and the holiday has taken on new significance in the wake of Assad's fall. However, as of October 2025, the transitional government in Damascus has decided to exclude Newroz from the list of official holidays in Syria. We end the episode with an update from Khuzama and Cedric that was recorded in late September 2025 and includes talk about the massacres that took place in Sweida in July. Notes: citations On Samih Choukeir: https://www.syriawise.com/samih-chouker-the-very-first-voice-of-the-syrian-revolution/ [https://www.syriawise.com/samih-chouker-the-very-first-voice-of-the-syrian-revolution/], https://syriauntold.com/2021/04/09/remembering-the-syrian-revolution-through-song/ [https://syriauntold.com/2021/04/09/remembering-the-syrian-revolution-through-song/] On Sweida: https://interstices-fajawat.org/suwayda-2025-chronology-of-a-predictable-massacre/ [https://interstices-fajawat.org/suwayda-2025-chronology-of-a-predictable-massacre/] https://hawarnews.com/en/sweida-announces-formation-of-unified-national-army-under-name-national-guard [https://hawarnews.com/en/sweida-announces-formation-of-unified-national-army-under-name-national-guard] More information on the situation Khuzama and Cedric talked about from April 2025 when activists from Sweida were arrested on their way to a workshop in Raqqa: https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/women-arrested-on-their-way-to-raqqa-we-were-subjected-to-torture-36914 [https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/women-arrested-on-their-way-to-raqqa-we-were-subjected-to-torture-36914] – Links Khuzama and Cedric's media project, Fajawat: https://interstices-fajawat.org/ [https://interstices-fajawat.org/] Kongra Star's website: https://kongra-star.org/ [https://kongra-star.org/] Music credits: Theme music is from Koma Şehîd Hêva Ya Şehba available online at https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/ [https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/] and interlude and outro music is from Shahriyar Jamshidi https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava [https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava]. This episode also featured audio recorded by me at the Qamislo Newroz Festival in March 2025 as well as audio of Samih Choukeir's performance there that was recorded by Ronahi TV and is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODd_WMe55VM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODd_WMe55VM] A Short List of Further resources on Syria, Kurdistan, Rojava, etc. (things I read or listened to while making this podcast) List of media to check out re: Syria from Fajawat website: https://interstices-fajawat.org/its-not-complicated-a-note-to-help-you-understand-syria/ [https://interstices-fajawat.org/its-not-complicated-a-note-to-help-you-understand-syria/] Podcasts: https://thefirethesetimes.com/ [https://thefirethesetimes.com/] (specifically https://thefirethesetimes.com/2025/03/04/ocalans-statement-and-the-future-of-the-pkk-w-dilan/ [https://thefirethesetimes.com/2025/03/04/ocalans-statement-and-the-future-of-the-pkk-w-dilan/] and Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution: https://fromtheperiphery.com/syria-the-inconvenient-revolution-pod/ [https://fromtheperiphery.com/syria-the-inconvenient-revolution-pod/]) https://thedigradio.com/Thawra/ [https://thedigradio.com/Thawra/] https://ckut.ca/playlists/shows/15267 [https://ckut.ca/playlists/shows/15267] featuring Shahrzad Arshadi's podcast "The Future is Now" https://thekurdishedition.com/ [https://thekurdishedition.com/] https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/what-does-the-pkks-disarmament-mean-286340407/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/what-does-the-pkks-disarmament-mean-286340407/] Books: Rojava in Focus: Critical Dialogues. Edited by Cihad Hammy and Thomas Jeffrey Milley, AK Press, 2025. Bringing the Rojava Revolution Home. By Jenni Keasden and Natalia Szarek, Active Distribution, 2023. My Road from Damascus: A Memoir. By Jamal Saeed, ECW Press, 2022. Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War. By Leila Al-Shami and Robin Yassin-Kassab, Pluto Press, 2018.

Episode Four: The Mala Jin at the heart of the struggle

In our fourth episode, we travel back to Qamishlo and meet with women from the Mala Jin, a women's center that is part restorative family justice center, part domestic violence shelter, and part revolutionary women's organizing hub. As with everyone we have met so far, the women of the Mala Jin have thoughts to share about the new situation in Syria and what's at stake for their ongoing struggle. We also meet Clara, an American who spent time in north-east Syria working with the women of the Mala Jin. Notes More information about the Mala Jin: https://womendefendrojava.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MALA-JIn-EN-1.pdf [https://womendefendrojava.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MALA-JIn-EN-1.pdf] https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2023/10/rojavas-women-led-restorative-justice-system-centers-mediation-not-retribution/ [https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2023/10/rojavas-women-led-restorative-justice-system-centers-mediation-not-retribution/] (includes an interview with Clara) Credits Voice credits: Yonis and an anonymous friend Music credits: Theme music is from Koma Şehîd Hêva Ya Şehba available online at https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/ [https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/] and interlude and outro music is from Shahriyar Jamshidi https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava

Episode Three: The City Without Water

Our third episode takes place in Hasakeh, a city that has been cut off from it's water supply by Turkey. In Hasakeh, we meet four representatives of the YPJ, the women's militia who have been defending their region for more than a decade. They tell us about ongoing military conflicts and the importance of the YPJ within the Women's Revolution more broadly. We also meet members of the Federation for Veterans who explain the dire situations they face as wounded ex-soldiers trying to heal with very few resources. Notes More information on the YPJ: https://ypj-info.org/ [https://ypj-info.org/] Old article about the founding of the Veteran's Federation: https://english.anf-news.com/rojava-syria/federation-of-disabled-war-veterans-opened-in-qamishlo-41202 [https://english.anf-news.com/rojava-syria/federation-of-disabled-war-veterans-opened-in-qamishlo-41202] citation: https://www.syriahr.com/en/368973/ [https://www.syriahr.com/en/368973/] Credits Voice credits: Lucas and a bunch of friends who wish to remain anonymous Music credits: Theme music is from Koma Şehîd Hêva Ya Şehba available online at https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/ [https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/] and interlude and outro music is from Shahriyar Jamshidi https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava

Episode Two: A Contested City

The second episode brings us to Raqqa where we talk to Arab women organizing since the fall of ISIS to build up new women's collectives and projects. We also attend a press conference with representatives of the women's committee of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North East Syria (DAANES), the main governing body in the region. They tell us about the kind of work being done to bring together the different populations living in the area. Notes: Syrian Democratic Council's statement on the Interim Government's Draft Constitutional Declaration from March 14, 2025: https://x.com/SDCPress/status/1900475659035525233 [https://x.com/SDCPress/status/1900475659035525233] Syrian Women's Council on the constitution: https://hawarnews.com/en/mjs-rejects-new-constitutional-declaration-new-era-of-exclusion [https://hawarnews.com/en/mjs-rejects-new-constitutional-declaration-new-era-of-exclusion] US Troops withdrawal from Syria as of June 2025: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/06/04/us-confident-in-syrian-partners-to-prevent-isis-resurgence-amid-troop-withdrawal [https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/06/04/us-confident-in-syrian-partners-to-prevent-isis-resurgence-amid-troop-withdrawal] Amnesty International's report on the situation in the prisons and camps in NE Syria: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/syria-mass-death-torture-and-other-violations-against-people-detained-in-aftermath-of-islamic-state-defeat-new-report/ Citation for claim that "one of the groups affiliated with the SDF's Manbij Military Council changed allegiances after the fall of Assad and started supporting a Turkish backed militia that was affiliated with HTS": https://syriauntold.com/2025/08/22/an-interview-with-wladimir-van-wilgenburg-on-the-kurdish-question-in-syria-and-turkey/ [https://syriauntold.com/2025/08/22/an-interview-with-wladimir-van-wilgenburg-on-the-kurdish-question-in-syria-and-turkey/] Article on the threat that HTS will try to attack SDF around Raqqa/Deir Ezzor: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/08/16/syria-kurds-hts-sdf-turkey-us/ [https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/08/16/syria-kurds-hts-sdf-turkey-us/] More reading on the Zenobia Women's Assembly: https://mesopotamia.coop/zenobias-legacy-challenges-and-encourages-women-to-actively-participate-in-building-syrias-future-interview/ [https://mesopotamia.coop/zenobias-legacy-challenges-and-encourages-women-to-actively-participate-in-building-syrias-future-interview/] and https://nescivildiplomacy.com/?p=2721 [https://nescivildiplomacy.com/?p=2721] I make a brief mention of different tendencies within the Kurdish movement in this episode. If you're curious to learn more, there is a lot of Kurdish history in this book: Cambridge History of the Kurds. Ed. Hamit Bozarslan, Cengiz Gunes, Veli Yadirgi. Cambridge University Press, 2021 Episode credits: Voice credits: Karla Stephen, Gabrielle Mulholland, Heidi, Kelly Montford, Cristine, Andrea Hume, Anais Maranda Music credits: Theme music is from Koma Şehîd Hêva Ya Şehba available online at https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/ [https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/] and interlude and outro music is from Shahriyar Jamshidi https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava

Episode One: Assad is really gone, now what?

Meet your host, Virginia and understand why she jumped at the chance to join a delegation of women journalists to north-east Syria. This first episode features activists from Kongra Star, an important women's organization, talking about the fall of the Assad regime and their impressions of the new government in Damascus. We also meet representatives from a neighbourhood commune, the most basic building block of civil society in north-eastern Syria. Notes: Prison Radio Show Interview with Lauren Aarons: https://prisonradioshow.libsyn.com/july-16-2024-full-show Syrian Network for Human Rights: https://snhr.org/blog/2025/04/09/ [https://snhr.org/blog/2025/04/09/1562-deaths-including-102-children-and-99-women-as-well-as-33-medical-personnel-recorded-in-march-2025-in-syria/]1562-deaths-including-102-children-and-99-women-as-well-as-33-medical-personnel-recorded-in-march-2025-in-syria/ [https://snhr.org/blog/2025/04/09/1562-deaths-including-102-children-and-99-women-as-well-as-33-medical-personnel-recorded-in-march-2025-in-syria/] Syrians for Truth and Justice report on the killing of civilians, including children, around Kobane/Tishreen Dam area: https://stj-sy.org/en/syriakobani-new-evidence-on-the-killing-of-22-civilians-half-of-them-children-in-january-and-march-2025/ Leila Al-Shami and Robin Yassin-Kassab, Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War FLOC, "To Make Many Lines, To Form Many Bonds – Thoughts on Autonomous Organizing" in https://www.liesjournal.net/volume2.pdf [https://www.liesjournal.net/volume2.pdf] Resources List from the study group on Kurdish history and the Kurdish women's movement: -Cambridge History of the Kurds. Ed. Hamit Bozarslan, Cengiz Gunes, Veli Yadirgi. Cambridge University Press, 2021. p. 893-919 -The Kurdish Women's Movement : History, Theory, Practice. Dilar Dirik. Pluto Press, 2022. "Towards Women's Autonomy " (p 42-49), "Revolutionizing love, Mothers, Self-defense" (p 99-125), " Rojava : A Women's Revolution : Resistance or Feminicide " (p208-251), and " Empowerment or Revolution " (p 301-314) -Revolution in Rojava : Democratic Autonomy and Women's Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan. Michael Knapp, Anja Flach and Ercan Ayboga [trans. Janet Biehl]. Pluto Press, 2018. Part 5 (p61-83), Part 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, (p133-136) and 8.11 (p158-163) -The Kurdish Women's Freedom Movement : Gender, Body Politics and Militant Femininities. Isabel Käser. Cambridge University Press, 2021. The PKK : A Woman's Party? (p42-65), and The Mountain Life (p97-129) -The Art of Freedom : A Brief History of the Kurdish Liberation Struggle. Havin Güneser. PM Press, 2021. Lecture II (p37-84) -"The Women's Movement in Rojava. " https ://mesopotamia.coop/the-womens-movement-in-rojava/ -Open Letter to the Public by the Jineoloji Committee Europe https://jineoloji.org/en/2021/05/10/open-letter-to-the-public/ Audio: Çay at the Women's Front : https://womensfront.com/ The Women's War : https://www.thewomenswar.com/ Women and War : A Feminist Podcast : https://www.buzzsprout.com/1921783 Websites: Rojava Information Center. "Rojava : A Timeline. A Historical Overview of North and East Syria." https ://rojavainformationcenter.com/background/rojava-timeline/ Rojava Information Center. "The Rojava Revolution – A Decade On (Part I)." https ://rojavainformationcenter.com/2022/07/10-years-of-the-rojava-revolution-much-achieved-still-much-to-come/ Website of Jineolojî. https ://jineoloji.org/en/ Website of the Kurdistan Solidarity Network. https ://kurdishsolidaritynetwork.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/the-womens-movement-in-rojava/ Website of Women Weaving the Future Network. https ://womenweavingfuture.org/ Andrea Wolf Institute of Jineolojî Academy. "Killing and Transforming the Dominant Man." January 2021. https ://jineoloji.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Killing-and-Transforming-the-dominant-man-booklet-en-compressed_compressed.pdf "How to Preserve the Autonomy of Northeast Syria." Fabrice Balanche for the Washington Insitute for Near East Policy. March 15, 2022. https ://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/how-preserve-autonomy-northeast-syria "Reflections on Antisemitic content in Öcalan's The Sociology of Freedom." https :// social-ecology.org/wp/2021/07/antisemitic-content-in-sociology-of-freedom/ Episode Credits Voice credits: Tawinikay. Zoo Parking, Andrea Figueroa and a few anonymous friends Music credits: Theme music is from Koma Şehîd Hêva Ya Şehba available online at https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/ [https://jintv.net/ku/posts/post1729280299/] and interlude and outro music is from Shahriyar Jamshidi https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava [https://shahriyarjamshidi.bandcamp.com/album/my-sunset-land-rojava]