(Watch Video) Rojhilat: The Kurdish Freedom Movement in Iran
(Watch Video) Rojhilat: The Kurdish Freedom Movement in Iran
Video recording of our Aug 17th event on the topic of Rojhilat: The Kurdish Movement in Iran, featuring guest speakers discussing the past, present and future of the Kurdish people and their struggle for freedom in Iran / East Kurdistan. The conversation covers topics such as women’s resistance, colonialism, ecology, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. The event was co-hosted by the Emergency Committee for Rojava, the Kurdish American Group (KAG), and the Kurdish Alliance of North America (KANA).
Guest speakers:
Dr. Azad Haci Aqayi is a renowned Kurdish scholar, writer, and political analyst from Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhelat). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and has taught at several universities in Europe and the Middle East. His academic work focuses on the Kurdish question, national identity, and the history of state oppression in Iran. Dr. Aqayi is the author of numerous papers and essays that examine the geopolitical dynamics of the Kurdish regions, the marginalization of ethnic minorities under Iranian rule, and the structural injustices faced by the Kurds. Since 2022, he has been serving as a postdoctoral researcher at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, engaged in a three-year study on women in Rojhelat.
He has consistently advocated for democratic rights, cultural autonomy, and the recognition of the Kurdish people as a distinct nation with ancient roots in the region. His analyses have contributed to a broader understanding of Kurdish resistance, particularly in Eastern Kurdistan, and he continues to raise critical questions about nationalism, state violence, and the role of intellectuals in liberation movements.
Dr. Joanna Bocheńska is an Associate Professor of Iranian Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, where she also serves as the Director of the Section for Kurdish Studies. A distinguished academic and expert in Kurdish culture, she has dedicated much of her career to advancing Kurdish studies across literature, language, gender, and identity. She holds a Ph.D. in Iranian Studies, has received national and international recognition for her interdisciplinary research, and is the author and co-author of numerous scholarly articles Her academic work explores a broad range of topics including: Kurdish literature, dehumanization and postcolonial theory, language revitalization and cultural resistance, gender roles and feminist heritage, and Yezidism and the role of oral tradition.
Beyond academia, Dr. Bocheńska has been an active public voice, regularly participating in Kurdish-language programs to discuss the historical and contemporary dimensions of Kurdish identity, literature, and resistance. In June 2022, Dr. Bocheńska received the Benedykt Polak Award for her contributions to Kurdish studies and her role in fostering cross-cultural academic collaboration between Poland and the Kurdish community.
Nyma Ardalan is a journalist, an advocate, and the executive director of the Kurdish Community of Southern California (KCSC). Currently working as a network engineer, He has been a community organizer involved with Kurdish politics and activism since 1979, and was previously a board member of the Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNCNA). Nyma has also been a host, programmer and founding member of SWANA Region Radio at KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Radio) in Los Angeles since 2001.
Esreen Ghadri is a Kurdish-American human rights advocate, a member of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), and a board member of the Kurdish American Group (KAG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to building unity among Kurds and fostering cross-community cooperation based on acceptance and mutual respect. As a Kurdish woman who has lived through oppression, violence, war, and systemic racism, she has dedicated her life to advancing the Kurdish struggle for peace, justice, and equality. Her work focuses on advocating for indigenous rights, amplifying women’s voices, and supporting dialogue-based, democratic solutions across the Middle East and beyond.