The Rojava Children's Theater project is dedicated to the 5 girls who lost their lives in the attack by the Turkish state on 18 August 2022 in the village of Shemoqa in Til Temir. Silava Ramazan, one of the five children, was seriously injured in the attack and died on 1 September. Silava Ramazan was in the Rojava Film Commune as a child actress in a film called Stories of Ruined Cities-Çirokên Bajarên Wêrankirî.

Theatre for children, an international project

The theatre project is promoted by TEV-ÇAND Cultural Movement, Hilala Zerîn Women's Cultural Movement and Şilêr Children's Committee.

The project benefits from the collaboration of international organizations that ‘adopt’ the children’s groups financing their training and work.

The first groups have already been adopted: the two groups in Kobane have been adopted by the Basque municipality of Durango (twinned with Kobane), the group in Derik has been adopted by the Italian NGO Fonti di Pace, the group in Heseke has been adopted by the Italian Società InFormazione, the group in Remelan has been adopted by Teatro degli Incontri e Teatro Ura and the group in Qamishlo has been adopted by the Comunità Brasiliana in Rome.

Children started their training and rehearsals in May. They will take the stage with the children's theater days event at the end of 4 months. This project is also the infrastructure of the children's festival. These plays that will be staged will also be shown at the children's festival. In addition to the theater, the festival will feature govend and music groups.

The Rojava children's theater project, which organizes its activities with the slogan "Azadî Ji Zarokatiyê Destpê Dike” aims to develop imagination and self-expression, build self-confidence and develop creativity by developing the love for theater in children. It aims to enrich the emotional world of children and to contribute to their social development with children's plays by making use of their time outside of school time.

The Rojava Children's Theater Project will bring children's stories to the stage in a theatrical manner by giving theater lessons to some 150 children, each group consisting of at least 15 children, in 10 different cities.

Plays to be staged

Each group will adapt a story for the stage. The group from Derik, Koma Ava Mezin, will present the story Pire ve Rovi (The granny and the fox), the group from Heseke, Xabur, will present the story Belek û Reşbelek (The black cat and the white mouse), the group from Rimelan, Yekta, will present the story 3 Bra u Ker ek (Three brothers and a donkey), the group from Qamishlo, Şiler, will present the story Çûk Û Pire (The old lady and the bird). In Kobane there are two groups, Koma Baqi Xido and Yekta and they will prepare the stories Gundê Mişkan (Village of rats) and Zilan.

From students to teachers

This project also created teachers. Young people who have acted in theater before, are actually teaching younger children: 12 theater teachers in many places from Dêrîk to Shehba trained the groups.