Live Streams & Talks

Lecture-1: Abdullah Ocalan's philosophy, the history of the Kurds in Syria and the origins of the revolution in Rojava – NES.

In this opening lecture of the Rojava Lecture Series, we cover the philosophy and teachings of Abdullah Ocalan, the spiritual and political leader of the Rojava revolution in North East Syria. Dr. Hassan Kochar, Advisor to the Co-Chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, outlines the early life and career of Ocalan, the evolution of his political philosophy, his critique of the state, and the emergence of Democratic Confederalism as the political foundation of the Rojava revolution and its current manifestation with respect to women’s rights, direct democracy, and ecology. This first lecture, and the response by Dr. Mahmoud Patel, presents a foundation and introductory framework for the following lectures in this series.

Date: 25 May 2023

Organizers:

Global University for Sustainability, https://our-global-u.org/

The Civil Diplomacy Center in North East Syria, https://nescivildiplom...

Synergia Co-operative Institute, https://synergiainstit...

Moderator:

John Restakis (Synergia Co-operative Institute)

Speaker:

Hassan Kochar, adviser to the co-chair of the Executive Council of North East Syria. Lecturer at the University of Rojava, Al-Sharq University, and the Democratic Society Academies.

Respondent: 

Mahmoud Patel, a Legal scholar, academic and human rights activist. Chairperson of the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group (KHRAG) in South Africa..

The following is a recording of a session was held on 7th April 2023.

Host:

• Erem Kansoy - Journalist

Guest:

• Mahmoud Patel - Chairperson of the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group (KHRAG) in South Africa

The following is a recording of a session was held on 4th December 2022.

Moderators:

• Mahmoud Patel: Legal scholar, academic, and human rights activist. Mahmoud Patel is the Chairperson of the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group in South Africa.
• Sameer Kasker: Law Lecturer with a Doctorate in Law on International Environmental Law, with a focus on International Water Law and sustainable development and management of water. Additionally, he is a specialist in Global Environmental Governance.

Speakers:

• Zainulabideen Gaddafi: Co-ordinator of the Zakzaky Foundation (Resistance media and community development), and project co-ordinator of the Mawaddah food Garden. 
• Nonhle Mbuthuma: Human Rights Defender who fights for land and environmental rights in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. 
• S’bu Zikode: Founding President of Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA. (Shack dwellers’ movement). 

Date: 

• 14th August 2022

Host:

• Erem  Kansoy - Journalist

Guest:

• Fazela Mahomed - Kurdish Solidarity Collective Co-Coordinator South Africa

The following is a recording of a session was held on 6th November 2020.

The shame of arming the oppressor against the Rojava Revolution. During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, information was uncovered that plane loads of ammunition were being exported out of South Africa by a locally linked company, Rheinmetall Denel, to Turkey.  In particular, and of great concern to the Kurdish Human Rights Action Group (KHRAG) and the International Labour, Research and Information Group (ILRIG), these weapons are being used to try and crush the Rojava Revolution in Syria. In this public forum, the invited speakers will discuss the extent of weapons being exported to Turkey, how the South African state is violating its own policies about weapons being exported to conflict zones, why Turkey is trying to crush the Rojava Revolution, the consequences of this in terms of human suffering and what we can do as activists in South Africa to mobilise against this.  

Speakers: 

• Şoreş Dirbesiye (Internationalist Commune)  
• Terry Crawford-Browne  
• Mahmoud Patel (Kurdish Human Rights Action Group) 

Speaker:

• Mahmoud Patel, Professor at the University of Western Cape.

Event: 

• International Forum on ISIS: Dimensions, challenges and confrontation strategies hosted by the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies (NRLS).

Date:

• 7-8th July 2019

Location:

• Amuda, North East Syria.