JINHA

WAN – The Kurdistan women’s association Congress of Free Women (KJA) is continuing work to establish a democratic communal economic system with the upcoming Women’s Economy Conference. KJA activist Sema Koç explained the importance of the conference for women’s efforts to reclaim the economy that has been taken from them.

The KJA Economy Commission is preparing for its Women’s Economy Conference on February 27-28. Ahead of the conference, women are holding workshops in four provinces, with the first taking place in the city of Van under the slogan “let’s communize our land, water and energy; let’s build a democratic free life.” Sema Koç, from the KJA’s coordinating body on economy, explained the importance of the Women’s Economy Conference, a first in Turkey, for women’s efforts to develop a democratic, communal economy.

Sema said that the first of the workshops on the topic took place in the city of Van.

“Van is a very appropriate place for debating the democratic communal economy, because the capitalist system hasn’t yet occupied it, hasn’t exploited it the way it wants to and hasn’t plundered it,” said Sema. “So there are still many traditions here when it comes to economic activity that come from the history, culture and past of women. So really, the communal economy can still come to life among women in Van.”

Sema noted that examples of cooperatives and communes are widespread in Van. The work ongoing in Van, she said, could serve as an example for the rest of Kurdistan. Sema criticized the idea that the economy is something that can only be discussed by experts.

“Right now we’re debating the economy itself and very much doing it based on life. When women explain their own experiences, it shows us how much they really are within the economy,” said Sema. “Women are the greatest part of production; they’re the owners of the economy,” said Sema, who said that women were now reclaiming the economic sphere that has been taken from them.

Necla Bakır, from the KJA’s economic coordinating body in Van, said that the workshop project has resulted in a roadmap for the project. Necla argued that the first step toward a democratic life is communalism.

“Right now our duty is to lay a democratic groundwork through communal life, outside of the living standards that the existing capitalist society has made dominant,” said Necla. “Women are inside the economy. What’s important are alternative models that make that women’s economy visible.”

Necla noted that Kurdish women were deeply involved in production and the economy; all that remained was to use their existing strength to wage their struggle.

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