Serkeftin: A Narrative of the Rojava Revolution

In this extremely enthusiastic political travelogue, Cartier, a communist hip-hop artist and journalist, traveled with an international delegation to the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (popularly known as Rojava, where Kurds have established an autonomous region) to learn from the revolutionaries. In Rojava, he found the “living, breathing, non-dogmatic and genuine democratic and social process of complete change... I had been searching for my entire life.” This slim volume, largely aimed at convincing fellow leftists that the Kurdish militias collectively known as the People’s Protection Units forces are sincere allies and not “pawns” of the U.S. (which gives arms to them), gives a revealing, if rose-colored, look at the area. Readers who don’t share Cartier’s ideological leanings will find him naive: he argues, for instance, that any perceived shortcomings he identifies in the Kurds’ revolution are “most likely because of my western individualistic prejudices.” Digested with a liberal dose of salt, however, this is a valuable and revealing account of the nascent institutions of Syria’s Kurdish warriors. Though the uneven, utilitarian prose—which occasionally devolves into Marxist talking points—may dissuade many readers, this should appeal to those interested in firsthand reporting from the Syrian civil war and the struggle for Kurdish autonomy. (Feb.)