On the third day of the Kurdish Women’s Culture Days held in Berlin, Young Women organized a workshop drawing attention to Rojava and Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilatê Kurdistan). The event brought together cultural and political educational practices focusing on the role of Kurdish women as carriers of social memory, identity, and resistance. As part of the workshop, participants created traditional Kurdish jewelry and wall decorations.
Kurdish women played a central role in transmitting culture
Agate chains, talismans, and gold jewelry; symbols in Kurdish culture associated with protection, collective bonds, and shared memory, were carefully crafted by participants. The process of collective creation was seen not only as an artistic activity but also as a living expression of cultural self-preservation and social life. Participants of the workshop also opened an exhibition titled “Kurdish Women as Carriers of Culture.” The exhibition highlighted the central role women have played throughout history in transmitting language, oral culture, stories, legends, traditions, and moral values.
In conditions where Kurdish identity has been banned, the importance of women in preserving culture was emphasized. Within this context, culture itself has taken shape as a form of resistance. The exhibition also drew attention to the perspective of jineology, stressing that women are not only guardians of culture but also creators of social transformation. The event also referred to Abdullah Öcalan’s fundamental thesis: “A society cannot be free unless women are free.”
This special day was dedicated to four Kurdish women:
-Pakhshan Azizi, a social worker from Eastern Kurdistan who worked with victims of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Rojava and was sentenced to death in Iran in 2024;
-Zeynab Jalalian, imprisoned since 2007 and one of Iran’s longest-held political prisoners;
-Martyr Deniz Çiya and Martyr Rojbîn Amara, who were killed in 2026 during the freedom struggle in Rojava.
Themes of dignity, honor and hope highlighted at the event
The event featured the life stories of the women, while letters written by imprisoned activists were read aloud. Themes such as dignity, remembrance, honor, and the political significance of hope were brought to the forefront. The event committee emphasized that self-defense does not only refer to physical protection but also to the defense of language, history, identity, and social autonomy. The event was open to all participants and stood out as part of broader efforts to strengthen cultural visibility, political awareness, and solidarity networks within the Kurdish diaspora.
The Kurdish Women’s Culture Days are organized by Dest Dan Women’s Assembly e.V., Hunera Mizgîn, Jinên Koma Feraşîn û Delîl Çiyager, Jinên Ciwan Berlin, KJAR (East Kurdistan Free Women’s Society) and the Kurdish Women’s Peace Office – Cênî e.V.
The program includes:
4 March, 18:30 – Kurdish folk dance performance “Govenda Kurdî”
6 March, 18:30 – “Dengbêj û Siyaçemane Hewreman” (evening of traditional Kurdish narrative singing and vocal performance)
7 March, 18:30 – Film night featuring works by Hêvî Nîmat Gatar and Bêrîvan Saruhan
The series of events will conclude on 7 March, and participants will gather again on 8 March for International Women’s Day.
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