Hilala Zêrîn launches cultural campaign supporting YPJ

On June 4, the Hilala Zêrîn Women’s Culture Movement announced a program of cultural and artistic activities in support of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). The events came within the framework of the solidarity campaign launched last April by the Joint Activities Platform of women’s movements and organizations under the slogan: “We are all YPJ, YPJ represents us.”

The activities, held in the cities of the Jazira region (Derik, Qamishlo, Darbasiyah, and Hasakah) as well as Kobani, included musical concerts, theatrical performances, and photo exhibitions

Speaking to ANHA about the campaign’s goals and achievements so far, Roken Mohammed, an administrator in Hilala Zêrîn and a member of the campaign’s preparatory committee, said:

“We have fought both the red and the white wars on every field. If the first was a battle of weapons and blood, then we were obliged to fight the second through creative artistic means, armed with concerts, theatrical performances, and cultural exhibitions that we organized across Jazira and Kobani.”

Roken pointed to what she described as the exclusionary mentality pursued by the Syrian interim government, explaining that the women-led system in North and East Syria and Rojava is not accepted by that government. She added:

“Women have continued their relentless struggle since the beginning of the revolution until today, at a time when this system is reproducing itself once again. As Kurdish people, and particularly as Kurdish women, we have struggled for a long time to protect the values established by the women’s movement in the region stretching between the Zagros and Taurus mountains. Our mission today is to document these values and preserve them in the memory of history so that they can be passed faithfully from one generation to the next.”

She stressed that the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) constitute an umbrella that brings together women of all components in Syria, emphasizing the necessity of defending this identity.

“The YPJ is our existential identity, and through its strength and will it has won tangible recognition across the Middle East. Therefore, any denial of this force or refusal to recognize it is, in essence, a denial of our existence and of our recognition as women.”

The Hilala Zêrîn official highlighted the activities organized as part of the campaign, noting that they reflected the lives of women fighters and embodied their struggle against ISIS mercenaries, transforming that struggle into an artistic message. The events also presented the achievements and gains made by the YPJ, including the resistance of the martyr Arîn Mîrkan during the defense of Kobani and the determination of Deniz Jiya, a member of the Internal Security Forces who was martyred during the battles in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo.

Dozens of women artists painted works expressing the image of the struggling and resistant woman who emerged during the revolution.

She added:

“We wanted to participate in this campaign through artistic tools, because every woman artist’s heart beats for the revolution. All the events were held with great attendance and enthusiasm from the public.”

Regarding the movement’s future plans, Roken confirmed that the campaign would continue until its objectives are achieved, concluding:

“Any work we do will be in the service of all women and our forces. We will continue through seminars and women’s festivals, and we reaffirm our support for the demands related to the participation of the Women’s Protection Units in the integration process within the structure of the Syrian Ministry of Defense.”

ANHA