FİDAN ABDULLAH

Shahba- Seven years have passed since Afrin was occupied by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions. Displaced women of Afrin living in Shahba resist and express their resistance in various ways despite all the difficult living conditions. A group of women coming together under the umbrella of the Union of Intellectuals wrote the “Women's Pieces” book telling their stories of displacement and the difficulties faced by them.

 Ruken Hüseyin, who was displaced along with many people from Afrin’s Jindires town in 2018, started keeping a diary when she was 14 but she never thought she would become a writer. After being forcibly displaced from Afrin, she started writing to express her feelings and the resistance of displaced people of Afrin. “Despite all the difficulties, the people of Afrin have been resisting for seven years.”

 ‘We grew up and have become stronger’

The “Women’s Pieces” book was written by Rukan Hüseyin and four displaced women of Afrin, telling their longing for their homeland, their feelings about being displaced and the ongoing war in Syria. Rukan Hüseyin attended a creative writing course held by the Union of Intellectuals. “Thanks to the course, I improved myself in writing. First, I wrote poems and short stories. The Union of Intellectuals has provided support to many women. We never give up on improving our talents. We grew up and have become stronger.”

‘We began to write the book three years ago’

Giving up is not an option, Ruken Hüseyin underlined. “We will achieve our goal with determination and will. The Women’s Pieces is an Arabic book and my aim is to write a book in Kurdish. I want to write poems and short stories for local magazines and newspapers. We began to write the book three years ago. We planned to organize a book signing last month; however, we could not publish the book due to the siege imposed by the Syrian government.”

‘I wrote First Aid book in Kurdish’

Sakina Arabo (40), a nurse and member of the Heyva Sor a Kurd (Kurdish Red Crescent), is the writer of the “First Aid” book in Kurdish. She also gives information to displaced people of Afrin, who live in IDPs camps in Shahba, as part of the healthcare training classes held by the Heyva Sor a Kurd. “I compiled what I know in this book. I first wrote the book in Arabic but then decided to write it in Kurdish because there are very few Kurdish books on first aid.”

‘The book contains information on many diseases’

Speaking about her book, she said, “The book tells what people should do during emergency situations. The book contains information on many diseases. It also provides information on many topics, including the importance of water, common diseases such as measles, cholera and vaccines.”