her bijî:
A collection of informative stories, interviews and research articles focusing on Kurdish female figures of both past and present day Kurdistan.
The Taste of Liberation: Pary Baban and the Preservation of Kurdish Cuisine
An interview with Kurdish Chef Pary Baban, who founded Nandine restaurant in London, which is a celebration of authentic Kurdish food (Nandine means 'kitchen' in Kurdish).
Choosing Freedom with Dilpak Megeed
Dilpak Megeed is a Yazidi- Kurdish director from the Shariya town of Duhok. Despite the obstacles in her path, she is a resolute filmmaker whose captivating energy helped her to forge a successful career in the film industry.
‘the world is a flower, smell it and pass it to your friend’ - RewSen Bedirxan
Even though Rewşen had to endure several hardships, she was revered by everyone. An incredibly bold and intelligent woman who had taken a more reserved approach in contributing to Kurdistan's history, dedicating her life to raising awareness of her people.
Khabat Abbas: The Fixer and Relentless Patriot of Qamislo
An international award-winning fixer, Khabat Abbas is a credited and distinguished independent journalist and producer whose work has been widely published across the global media outlets.
Resistance & Rock n roll: the story of an all female Kurdish rock band of the 1980’s.
Khanzad were a rock band that formed in Erbil, south Kurdistan, in 1980. At the time they were unique in being the only all-female musical group in Kurdistan and Iraq….
Sînemxan Bedirxan – The Last Princess of Kurdistan Who Found Resistance in Archiving.
Sînemxan Bedirxan is referred to as the ‘Last Princess of Kurdistan’, a title which is derived from her noble lineage as well as being a much-loved Kurdish woman who, like members of her patriotic family has dedicated most of her life to the Kurdish cause.
Xanim Bayîz: Life as a Communist Mother & Peshmerga
On the 18th February 2022, The Jiyan Archives received a public submission in the form of a single photograph of a young man’s grandmother with the following excerpt added ‘Studio portrait of Xanim Bayîz, a peshmerga of the communist party in Slemani’. On our venture to discover more about the woman in the photograph, we were given her only ever documented interview with the late Kurdish writer Ruxosh Ali.
Leila Bedirxan: ‘My dance and my dreams are of the East’
Leila Bedirxan is considered as the first Kurdish woman to be a noted as a ballet dancer and modern choreographer.
Hêja Netirk: modernising Kurdish music.
Hêja Netirk is a Kurdish multidisciplinary artist - singer, songwriter, actress and producer. We discussed traditional views on female artists, living in exile and how music acted as a revolutionary force for her - both against the Turkish state and her family which had deep rooted sexism which often stood in her way when she was developing her craft.
‘Xwîna Jin Halala’: Kajal Ahmad discusses love, war, and the unchanging experience of women in Kurdistan
Zehra Dogan on Xwebûn, Revolutionary Art and Resisting Borders.
In 2017, Zehra Doğan was sentenced to 2 years, 9 months and 22 days of prison by the Turkish state for her art work, which was deemed as ‘terrorist propaganda’…
Hepse Xanî Neqîb - An early Kurdish feminist & leader
Hepse Xanî Neqîb was a Kurdish feminist and nationalist who founded the first girls school in Iraq and South Kurdistan.