رامينا نيوز

Arta Organization for Media and Development has recently released a 93-page book titled “Out of the Race: From Amoudah to Amoudah” written in Arabic by the journalist Sirwan Haj Berko.

In his work, the writer walks you, in fine detail, the beginning of his emigration with his family from Syria, when he was thirteen years old, talking about his experiences in Germany and how he started working in the media; and his focus on human rights issues in Syria in general, and Kurdish rights in particular.

The detailed personal experience of the writer reflects what many of young Syrians go through running away from the plight of persecution meted to them in their homeland.

The author presents sad confession, but at the same time spews positive energy, stressing that by possessing will and determination, new ways will be opened to build a better future in our societies stricken by tyranny and oppression.

The author talks about his city, Amoudah, in a romantic way just like a lover talking about his beloved. He finds his hometown as his eternal paradise. This made him to establish Arta Radio from Amoudah, which he launched in three languages spoken in northern Syria.

Berko says in the introduction of his book: “It is not an autobiography, it is a story that can happen to anyone, a possible story. Nor is it a novel or literary text, but rather a mere narration of experiences that I went through. I wanted to convey the message briefly without digging into the details so that the book’s path remains oriented towards presenting the experiences that I went through since my emigration from Amoudah to Germany as a 13-year old and my subsequent return to the same city when I was in my late thirties.”

About the author:

Sirwan is Kurdish journalist descends from the city of Amoudah, northern Syria. He has lived in Germany since early 90s. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic, German and English. He founded www.amude.net around 2000s which formed an important outlet for Kurdish intellectuals and writers to publish their articles in Kurdish at that time. He is now the Executive Director of Arta Organization for Media and Development. Sirwan also occasionally presents shows from Arta's studio in Bochum, Germany.