Monday, December 31, 2018: What US withdrawal from Syria means for Rojava

YPJ (Women’s Protective Force) fighters in northern Syria

The planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria is widely seen as a green light for Turkey to invade Northern Syria. What will that mean for the socialist feminist Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, colloquially known as Rojava? Reflecting on this prospect, we listen to excerpts from my interviews with Sinam Mohamed, representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., conducted as Turkish forces were occupying her home in Afrin, and with Janet Biehl, translator of Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women's Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan.

Click here to listen to the show. 59:50 min

Produced and Hosted by Kate Raphael.

Listen to the full interview with Janet Biehl (48:53)
Listen to interview with Sinam Mohamad, Syrian Democratic Council (Rojava) Representative to the US. Mohamad's home in Afrin was occupied by Turkish-backed forces in March 2018. (53:44)

Thanks so much to all of you who donated to support Women's Magazine during the pledge drive. Thanks to you, we made our goal! And KPFA came close.  Looking forward to another strong year at Women's Magazine.  Happy New Year.

Also on today's show:

History of the Vibrator

Monday, September 3, 2018: Rahila Gupta and Lucy Jane Bledsoe on Paradises Built in Hell

Today's show was originally aired on May 7. Enjoy this replay from KPFA Women's Magazine:

Rebecca Solnit's 2010 book A Paradise Built in Hell posits that disasters, whether natural or human created, commonly bring out our most generous and cooperative nature, leading to the development of new forms of community and democratic organization. This week on Women's Magazine, I talk with two women who have done their own research into this phenomenon.

British journalist Rahila Gupta traveled to Northern Syria to witness the grassroots feminist democracy being built in territory liberated from the Islamic State. She has written extensively about the impressive network of women's cooperatives, political education and legislative accomplishments built in just a few years.

Lucy Jane Bledsoe's new novel, The Evolution of Love, imagines the aftermath of a massive earthquake in the East Bay, and suggests that our bonobo nature, favoring love and cooperation over conflict and competition, might ultimately triumph. Bledsoe is the award-winning author of A Thin Bright Line, which has just been optioned for a film.

Click here to listen to the show. 59:50 min

Interview blogs from May 7:
Rahila Gupta
Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Events:
Film showing:
Good Morning Pakistan by Dr. Hazan Zee
SAN FRANCISCO EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT September 6 and 13

NOW PLAYING - 4 Star Theatre SF- BUY YOUR TICKETS https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3593009

RISE FOR CLIMATE, JOBS AND JUSTICE MARCH

SEPTEMBER 8TH
Look for the queer and women contingents. Meet at 10:30 AM at 101 California for the queer contingent and at 10 AM on Stuart between Market and Mission for the women's contingent.

Monday, May 7, 2018: Rahila Gupta on Paradises Built in Hell

Rebecca Solnit's 2010 book A Paradise Built in Hell posits that disasters, whether natural or human created, commonly bring out our most generous and cooperative nature, leading to the development of new forms of community and democratic organization. This week on Women's Magazine, Kate Raphael talks with two women who have done their own research into this phenomenon. First we hear from Rahila Gupta.

British journalist Rahila Gupta traveled to Northern Syria to witness the grassroots feminist democracy being built in territory liberated from the Islamic State. She has written extensively about the impressive network of women's cooperatives, political education and legislative accomplishments built in just a few years.

Rojava is broken into three cantons. Afrin Canton in the West, Kobane Canton in the center, and Cizre Canton in the East. These three cantons are working in cooperation with many local and international players to push back the Islamic State.

Click here to listen to the show. 59:50 min

Also on today's show:
Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Friday, March 16, 2018: Special Women's History Month Programming

Global Feminists Building New Futures

From Kobani in Syria to Cochabama in Bolivia, feminists are creating experiments in collectivism as a means to women’s equality and safety. We hear about the Rojava Revolution, a democratic socialist feminist democracy being constructed in northern Syria, and women’s collectives in Bolivia who are changing the meaning of self-defense in the country with the highest rate of gender-based violence in Latin America.

Guests:  Janet Biehl, translator of Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women’s Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan;

Leny Olvera-Rojas, grassroots feminist activist, scholar and musician from Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Produced and Hosted by Kate Raphael.

Click here to listen to the show. 1:12:14

Listen to the full interview with Janet Biehl (48:53)
Listen to interview with Sinam Mohamad, Syrian Democratic Council (Rojava) Representative to the US. Mohamad's home in Afrin was occupied by Turkish-backed forces in March 2018. (53:44)

Tune in to KPFA.org next Friday at noon for more Women's History Month special programming.