The third conference “Challenging Capitalist Modernity III: Uncovering Democratic Modernity ― Resistance, Rebellion and Building the New” in light of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's ideas started on April 14. It is a 3-day long organization held in the University of Hamburg where the crises created by capitalism, ways to overcome them and constructing the post-capitalist world were discussed. The discussions were centered around the ideas of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and emphasized alternative solutions, constructing the new, local economies, developing the nature-society relationship and the importance of joint struggles to achieve all these.

THANKING THE KURDISH FAMILIES

The first session of the third and last day was titled “Capitalism can be transcended: Thinking on the unimaginable” The speakers thanked the Kurdish families who hosted them for 3 days. Hundreds of people were hosted by Kurdish families and activists in their homes in Hamburg, no participant was placed in a hotel.

Silke Helfrich moderated the session where economist and historian Friederike Habermann, anthropologist and author Eleanor Finley, women’s liberation movement activist Halime Kurt, PYD Co-chair Salih Muslim and North America-Rojava Solidarity Movement Boston activist Cora Roelofs gave presentations.

THE EXPLOITATION RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE VILLAGE MUST END

Cora Roelofs gave a presentation under the title agriculture and food on the ecological economy, the urban and the rural. Roelofs said she was there in the name of North America-Rojava Solidarity Movement and stressed that an ecological awareness must be developed. When talking about food, Roelofs pointed out, exploitation continues under organic production as well and added that agriculture no longer meant food. Roelofs said that crops like drugs and tobacco are replacing food crops and said ecological villages should be created and the bureaucracy should have no place in environmental planning. Roelofs said the exploitation relationship between the city and the village must end, and at different points of her speech asked the audience to “boo” or applaud certain concepts. Roelofs made the criticism that people were headed towards not an ecological new production but consumption, and stated that to build a life for all, a social-collective harmony like that among South American indigenous peoples is needed. Roelofs said rejecting capitalism isn’t enough, and that the relationship between the ecological society and nature should be nurtured.

“THERE IS A LOT WE MUST LEARN FROM THE KURDS”

Antropologist and author Eleanor Finley gave a presentation on the local making decisions and regional democratic confederalism and emphasized the importance of the severance from the nation state mentality. “We have a lot to learn from the Kurdish people on this matter,” said Finley and spoke about what politics truly means and how it should be understood. Finley also emphasized the importance of the people’s assemblies and said democratic confederalism has two practical meanings: “It is a political organization, it is a system of organization without a state in the Midlde East.” Finley mentioned free municipalism and communalism as well and stated that democratic confederalism should also be seen as a communal connection between regions. Finley underlined that every revolutionary project is a process of education at its core and added that there was much to learn from the Rojava Revolution. Finley said the Rojava Revolution didn’t just happen simultaneously, it was a result of years of efforts and struggle by the Kurdish people and spoke about the efforts by Öcalan to create this outcome.

SEVERANCE FROM THE MENTALITY OF MILITARISM

PYD Co-chair Saleh Moslem spoke last and was greeted with applause. Muslim said the biggest problem of the age was capitalist modernity. Moslem centered his presentation around the “severance from the mentality of militarism”. He emphasized self defense in this context and said, “All living beings need defense.” Muslim pointed to the phases of defense from clans to the contemporary situation and emphasized the monopoly the ruling powers placed over defense. Moslem also mentioned the arms advertisements made today and pointed out especially the 59 Tomahawk missiles the US launched on an air base in Syria. Moslem talked about the cost of each missile and said that these were never used in the interest of society and it invested in war. PYD Co-chair also mentioned that a bomb of more than 10 tonnes was used in Afghanistan, and said, “I wonder how much it cost.” He continued by asking, “If they built a university where they deployed that bomb, wouldn’t it be better?” and stated that the militarist industry is against humanity. Muslim stressed the importance of legitimate defense in the face of this and spoke of the Kurds’ understanding of defense in Rojava. Moslem said all large powers were in Syria and that they couldn’t beat ISIS with all the jets and the bombs, and armies in the Middle East crumbled in the face of ISIS. Moslem stated that the organized force who trusted in their own strength and were using their right to legitimate self defense despite very limited means, the Kurds, broke ISIS. Muslim said the YPG and the YPJ did this not because they were paid but due to their ideological training and faith in the democratic society, then went on to speak about the structure of defense in Rojava and Northern Syria.

The 3-day long conference will conclude with future perspectives in the context of Democratic Modernity.