ROJ HOZAN

 Qamishlo- Despite social pressures, women achieve significant success in many areas. 50-year-old Xaliya Ehmed is one of these women. Living in the Sihil village of Qamishlo’s Tirbespiyê town, northeast Syria, she produces and presents radio and TV programs on the culture of motherhood.

‘I want to be a part of the revolution’

Telling her life story, she said, “I was born in the Xizna village of the Qamishlo Canton. I got involved in the Kurdish Freedom Movement at the age of 16. Due to the traditional roles of our society, I could not act as actively as I do now. When I got married, I came to the village of Sihil in Tirbespiyê and I still live here. Before the revolution in Rojava, I carried out activities at the frontline and began to take part in many works after the revolution. I made efforts for the Yekitîya Star, Kongra Star, Tev-Dem, municipality and Autonomous Administration. Now, I am a member of the Til Marûf Peoples’ Assembly. I want to be a part of the revolution by carrying out such activities.”

‘An important step for my personality’

Xaliya Ehmed added, “Being involved in journalistic activities was an important step for improving my personality. I wanted to be involved in journalistic activities for a long time but I was not ready. For a while, I was involved in various activities such as participating in radio and TV programs, supporting journalists about certain issues. I aim to revive the culture of motherhood and show that there is no age limit for working. There are very rich cultures of motherhood in many villages; however, they have been forgotten. By working as a radio and TV presenter, I want to give information about the language, lifestyle, identity and culture of mothers. I want to share my feelings, culture and love with other mothers.”

‘The culture of motherhood is an important culture’

Talking about the radio and TV programs presented by her, Xaliya Ehmed said, “I present a program broadcasting on Star Fm every Thursday at 8 pm. I also present a program called, ‘Mother Culture’ broadcasting on the Rojava TV every Wednesday at 9 pm. In the beginning, I faced challenges because mothers did not want to participate in the programs. I had an idea of producing a program about the marriage ceremonies of mothers.  Maybe the idea was a little funny, but mothers shared their stories with me because I am also a mother like them. I presented this program until mothers trusted me. We always define culture and morality in the personality of all mothers because they have preserved cultures.”

‘I am both a mother and journalist’

Xaliya Ehmed told us what she feels about her radio and TV programs. “I feel happy when I talk to mothers Even though we have pain. I learn more about the value and truth of motherhood thanks to the smiles on the faces of mothers. People can do everything if they want, for this reason, I do not think being a journalist at this age is a success. I present my programs as a woman and as a mother. I am now both a mother and journalist. When I compare the past with the present in my programs, I will get results in the future. In the future, I want to present a program about the history of villages. My next project is to carry out research on Kurdish proverbs and produce a program about Kurdish proverbs. I believe that each proverb is a history. We grew up in this culture and we will pass this culture down to the next generations.”