The Fire These Times 184/ Öcalan's Statement and the Future of the PKK w/ Dîlan
On Feb 27, Abdullah Öcalan, the long-time jailed leader of the PKK (Kurdish Worker’s Party), released a statement that shocked many. In the statement he called for the PKK to lay down their arms, which could spell the end of the 40-year long armed struggle against the Turkish state, and for the creation of a legal, diplomatic framework to ensure inclusion, rights, and dignity for the Kurdish communities within a democratic Turkish nation.
In this episode, Ayman Makarem, Israa, and Karena Avedissian are joined by Dîlan who provides a thorough overview of the present moment, situates it within the longer history of the Kurdish struggle, and explores analysis of what this all means - for Kurds and other communities across the WANA region.
Dîlan is a reluctant academic and tired organizer. She is interested in alternative historiographies, feminist methodologies, and memory. She considers herself an equal-opportunity hater regarding states and authoritarian power structures, and is a dedicated skeptic of reactionary tendencies in both organizing and academic spheres.
Links:
- https://wjas.org/en/the-foundation/
- https://nudemorg.com/support/
- https://rojavainformationcenter.org/donate/
For more:
Ayman Makarem is on Bluesky and Instagram
Karena Avedissian is on Bluesky
Israa is on Bluesky
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The Fire These Times
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From The Periphery
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Credits:
Ayman Makarem (host, producer, sound editor), Karena Avidissian (host), Israa (host), Dîlan (guest), Rap and Revenge (Music), Wenyi Geng (original TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai (FTP theme design), Molly Crabapple (FTP team profile pics), Elia Ayoub (episode design).
From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti and israa abd elfattah.
The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International