The Rojava Revolution became well known for its numerous victories over ISIS. People from many different countries continue coming to the liberated territory of North and East Syria to help build a democratic society in the Middle East.  Xebat Kuye, a YPG Internationalist from England, described what he has learned in his last year and a half in Rojava.

“I first learned about the Rojava revolution in 2015 after the liberation of Kobane from ISIS. At the start, I wasn’t really sure how to think about the Rojava revolution.”.

Xebat emphasized how “the media in the West didn’t really tell us what the revolution was about: what the people in Rojava are fighting for, what the people are creating here. Some years later, a friend of mine went and came to fight with YPG in the war to liberate Raqqa. It was mostly through these sorts of personal experiences, communication with comrades, that I learned more about what is happening in Rojava.

The people are building a democratic system, the fight for women’s liberation and the fight for ecology. It’s very difficult to simply see from outside what the Rojava revolution is. That’s why I came here, to really understand, to really get to know what is going on. To learn from it, to give my contribution. There is a lot to learn from coming here.”

Xebat says that from his personal experience he learned that “the revolution in Rojava is reflected in the way the region has changed, in the way the people organize here, in the way people determine their futures here, in the way that people fight for their own communities, their values, their ethics is something that isn’t getting shown, isn’t really getting known in the West.”.

Xebat added: “Even though we’re internationalists, they fully include us, we’re a part of the revolution here. The comrades want us to be a part of the revolution here. Really, it’s about building a democratic nation, communities coming together, diversities coming together all for one struggle in order to protect the revolution-to build up a new free life again… It’s something that you really do have to come here and be a part of, really live in, to fully understand… There’s no way to experience it in the West.”.

Xebat issued a call to Europeans and the rest of the world: “People should come see, live, be a part of this. Help to build the revolution. Really get to know what the revolution is about. There is so much to learn here, so much to work for in building this revolution and there’s so much to take back to our home countries, so much personal development to really build a revolutionary mindset, to really put ourselves on the path to find out what a free life is. So much can be taken back home, so much can be taken back here. And for any revolutionary in Europe, I hope they can come they can work with us and help to build something new.”.