About this issue's cover

In 2014, Canadian anarchist Cody Bergerud resolved to travel to Rojava to ‘document and participate’ in the on-going revolution. ‘The entire experience’, he writes, ‘was life changing’:

The most inspirational thing is to see how the vast majority of people in Rojava are politically engaged. There is real potential for this movement to become a model for other struggles around the world. In that regard, one of the greatest challenges is communicating that the Rojava revolution is a multi-ethnic project when international and State media depict it as a one-dimensional struggle specific to Kurds, rather than an effort based on ideas that have universal appeal.

When I arrived I consulted with Rojava’s self-defence forces and decided
to participate as a medic in a front-line position. I spent two months working as a medic in the town of Til Temir, in Cizire canton. Later I moved to larger cities and starting doing interviews with local political figures, journalists and schoolteachers. Sometimes I would write reports on my blog or a presentation to be passed on to diplomats in other countries. My future work in Rojava will focus on contributing to the planning and construction of educational facili- ties, some of which are already in the works.

The cover photo was taken by Cody in the town of Til Temir: ‘My friend’s son is in the foreground of the photo. His name is Al Ward, and he is waiting to start school with kids from his neighborhood’.

Allan Antliff

Cover photo: Cody Bergerud, Learning in Til Temir, 2014