The Documentary Podcast Can Syria’s Kurds save their women’s revolution?
Mar 3, 2026
Natasha Walter, British feminist writer who visited Rojava, offers reflective commentary. Berevan Omer, co-mayor of Qamishlo, discusses gender co-leadership and municipal work. Rukhsen Mohamed, spokesperson for the YPJ, describes women's roles and revolutionary mentality. They explore Rojava's experiment in women's equality, the impact of all-women fighting units, local tensions, and threats from renewed government control.
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Rojava's Institutionalised Women's Revolution
- Rojava built a gender-equal governance model that made women publicly visible in leadership and security roles.
- The system required co-leadership by a man and a woman across public positions and promoted women's studies called "genealogy" to institutionalise feminism.
YPJ Recruit Story Of Personal Transformation
- Rukhsen Mohamed described joining the YPJ at 22 and learning political thinking, confidence and self-defence as a woman.
- She said living together as women and daily revolutionary practice taught her criticism, self-belief and practical organising.
Women Only Housing And Gym Built In Kamishlo
- Berevan Omer described practical projects like women-only housing and a female-only gym to make solo living safe for women.
- She linked such projects to women's perspectives on children, environment and public space design.