"Journey of Freedom": Shilan Ahmed documents struggle from Kurdistan to Rojava

On June 10, author Shilan Ahmed signed copies of her book Journey of Freedom at the Reading Garden in Qamishlo. She began writing the book in 2025 as a documentation of her personal journey and an account of the years she spent alongside leader Abdullah Ocalan, as well as her experiences in work and struggle during the Rojava Revolution.

Across 446 pages, Journey of Freedom—prepared by journalist Hassan Ramo and published in 2026 by Elite Publishing House in Egypt—narrates the story of Rojava through a memory that combines personal experience with historical documentation. The book recalls neighborhoods transformed into barricades, schools turned into shelters, and dreams that became determined steps along a difficult road of struggle and resistance.

The book also chronicles a long journey of activism during which the author witnessed various wars and conflicts. It sheds light on the Rojava Revolution since its launch on July 19, 2012, covering the struggle of the people and patriotic families, the stories of martyrs, and the experiences Shilan Ahmed lived through during this historic period.

The author explained that she tried in every way not to diminish the efforts of anyone who participated in the revolution and became part of it, saying: “I wrote everything we lived through, where we lived it, and when we lived it.”

Throughout her journey, Shilan moved between several regions of Rojava, working in areas ranging from Qamishlo to Kobani and Afrin. She also worked in Aleppo and Damascus, where the military aspect occupied a significant part of her life story. She noted that “everything that happened in these regions was translated into words on the pages of Journey of Freedom.”

Women at the Heart of the Book

Alongside its other themes, the book highlights the presence of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) as a central part of the narrative—not merely as a military force, but as a symbol of profound social and historical transformation.

The book examines the formation of the Women's Protection Units, focusing on the stories of fighters Slava Afrin and Brevan Qalandar, who were among the first women fighters to be martyred within the women's units in May 2013 in the city of Afrin.

Speaking about this subject, the author said: “Through the efforts of women and the Women's Protection Units, the revolution reached where it is today. YPJ fighters are not merely fighters; they are an identity. Every woman has her own story, and the book places great emphasis on their stories, feelings, and thoughts.”

"Keeping History Alive"

The book features a red cover depicting a woman surrounded by barbed wire and birds. Shilan Ahmed explained that “the bird symbolizes freedom, while the woman symbolizes the revolution,” noting that the cover design was proposed by Elite Publishing House in Egypt, carrying symbolic meanings that harmonize with the book's content and journey.

Concluding her remarks, Shilan Ahmed thanked everyone who contributed to the completion of the book and expressed hope that readers would appreciate it, learn from the lessons of history it contains, and find reflections of their own experiences and memories within its pages.

“My goal is for our history to remain alive and for us to be able to protect it,” she said.

The book concludes with these words:

 “Freedom is not a goal achieved once and for all, but a long journey. Our struggle continues. What I have learned is that sacrifice is part of freedom, and that true courage lies not in remaining, but in continuing.”

With these words, Shilan Ahmed closes her book, leaving behind a summary of her experiences and her vision of a long journey of struggle and the search for freedom.

About Shilan Ahmed

Author Shilan Ahmed was born in the 1970s in the village of Sinjaq Khalil, near the city of Amuda. She grew up in a patriotic family and is the sister of two martyrs. She joined the Freedom Movement in 1990 and worked in the mountains of Kurdistan and in Rojava Kurdistan. She is also one of the founders of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ).

ANHA