‘Kazi’: Kalar art exhibition honors slain Kurdish woman, supports Rojava

SULAYMANIYAH — The Kalar Education Directorate opened an art exhibition Wednesday in support of Kurds in Rojava, Syria, featuring 60 paintings by 50 art teachers from local schools and kindergartens.

The exhibition, titled “Kazi” (Braid), takes its name from a video that circulated last month showing a Syrian pro-government militant holding the braid of a slain Kurdish woman during attacks on Kurds by government forces and allied militias.

The footage sparked widespread condemnation and prompted women to post videos of themselves braiding their hair in solidarity with the victim and to protest violence against Kurds. Some of the exhibited works depict Kurdish women and girls with braided hair, while others focus on national themes including the Kurdistan flag and traditional clothing.

“It is our duty as the education sector to support our people whenever they need us,” Adalat Latif, director of education in Kalar, told 964media.

Latif said participants expressed their support for Rojava through their artwork. “The paintings reflect the challenges that Kurds have recently faced,” he said, adding that the directorate plans additional activities for students from kindergarten through preparatory school.

He said Kurds stood together with one voice in support of each other and said “no” to all forms of occupation, stressing the need to support the Kurdish cause through all possible means, including art and media.

Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reached a broad agreement Friday to gradually integrate Kurdish military and civil institutions into the state after weeks of clashes ended in a ceasefire. The deal followed assaults by the Syrian regime and allied Islamist militias that forced Kurdish forces to withdraw from large areas into Kurdish-majority zones.

Under the agreement, Syrian government forces are to enter Hasakeh and Qamishlo, and three army brigades are to be formed from SDF units, with a separate brigade created for Kobani.