The autonomous area commonly known as Rojava, sitting in Northeastern Syrian Kurdistan, is facing an existential struggle. The Syrian administration in Damascus has initiated a military assault on the region in an effort to undermine its autonomy and bring it under central control. The assault has been led by state forces and allied factions of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)…
Source
In the chaos of Syria’s war, in a region called Rojava, a revolution took shape. Women some of whom were within the SDF (Syria Defense Forces) built a radically different political system based on gender equality and collective decision-making, and formed all-female armed units known as the YPJ (Yekîneyên Parastina Jin) that helped defeat ISIS. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria’s new governing forces moved to unify the country under a single national army and centralized rule. That push placed Rojava’s women-led project in direct ideological conflict with the state, as pressure mounted and the region faced the growing prospect of war.
TRNN was granted rare access to a YPJ commander at a hidden base in northeast Syria, offering a ground-level view of a women’s revolution as Rojava was preparing for war. Since filming, an agreement between the government in Damascus and Rojava’s governing authorities has brought the entire region under central government control. It is unclear if conflict will erupt between the two sides.
Credits:Produced by The Real News Network and Shadowgraph Media Filming, editing, and script writing by Ross Domoney Voice over by Nadia Péridot Local producer: Ossama Mohammad Translations by Sherin Yusif Special thanks to the Rojava Film Commune
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Narration:
After the fall of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, Syria’s people are forming the foundations of a new state.
Through years of war, every person has made sacrifices in this ancient, multi-ethnic land.
But as rebuilding begins, control becomes the next battle.
From the capital, Damascus, Syria is now governed by