ZARYA AZADI

Supports Women’s Equality with her new campaign “Evolve Your Heritage” Interview by Jules Lavallee

You are a Global Influencer. Tell us about your initiatives.

My initiative is not just a regional matter or regional project but rather a global issue. My campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ focuses on the oppression of women based on their freedom to decide over their own body, who they love, their sexuality, forced marriage, and child marriage, honor killings, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on women worldwide as all of it is still practiced in many different countries. The main issue is why women are being oppressed in many countries is based on the ancient and traditional-cultural rules of virginity until marriage. All of these horrific practices that I’ve mentioned above have developed because of it and have been part of many cultures for centuries. It’s a form of control that is justified with the purity of a woman and therefore the honor of a family. I’ve started with an editorial photo shoot called ‘Red Ribbon’ to highlight this issue so many women are suffering around the world. The ‘Red Ribbon’ is wrapped around the bride’s waist at the wedding and symbolizes her virginity in many cultures around the world. This form of oppression is very old fashioned and should be abolished. It’s a difficult fight because it is a taboo subject and most people in the communities don’t talk about it publicly. Many people in the West would ask; why these women don’t just leave to live their own lives. It’s not that simple. When you, as a woman, reflect the honor of an entire family, it’s not about you anymore and girls are being raised to believe and to tolerate these forms of cultural expectations. Another horrific practice of course is FGM. There are still several countries where this is practiced Flyer editing © 2020 Courtesy of graphic designer Ricardo massively, especially in developing countries in Acosta E. @itchirae and creative director Zarya Azadi e.g. Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. FGM is a human rights issue that affects girls and women worldwide. I’ve joined the Spanish NGO Mundo Some of the countries where FGM is being practiced are e.g. Cooperante as a cooperating partner and ambassador to fight Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, and Egypt. against this horrific practice. According to the UNICEF data Even Iraq is on the list with approx. 4 million affected girls and work on FGM the exact number of girls and women worldwide women. It’s also been practiced in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. who have undergone FGM remains unknown. But at least 200 This was a great shock to me as these are Kurdish areas and I million girls and women in 30 countries have been subjected to have never heard about this being practiced in our community this horrific and barbaric practice to control women’s sexuality. before, ever!

Picture © 2020 Courtesy of graphic designer Ricardo Acosta E. @itchirae

Therefore, I have taken this as a job to be vocal about this as much as I can, especially in my community. We need to know about this and fight against it. When I spoke to the representatives of the Kurdish civil organization I was told that they are aware of the problem and take it seriously and that is has been taken care of. They have also agreed that this practice has never been part of our culture before and that this needs to stop. My initiative is to support women worldwide to raise awareness and make a change by drawing attention to the issue globally. This is not just a problem that affects one country. FGM is widespread as it is also being practiced in Europe by communities originating from the affected countries. FGM is against the law in Europe and therefore should be punished. According to the European Commission, the practice of FGM is a crime in the EU. In some EU countries, it is possible to prosecute the practice even when the procedure is performed outside the country. I am never tired nor scared anymore to speak about these horrific practices as it is a global issue and affects so many but it is very frustrating to have conversations with people, especially with men to clarify that we women have feelings and our needs too as we were created from God since religion is also being used as a reason for practice. All of this is rooted in gender inequality. ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ highlights all of these inhuman practices which are also being practiced in Europe by communities originating from the affected countries. It is such an ancient tradition to demand women to stay virgins until marriage and no girl should be married off to an old man. Women should also be free to choose their partners themselves, regardless of race or religion. I personally stopped tolerating this nonsense and stopped accepting less of what I deserve. I learned to know my worth.

As a super creative and visionary. Paint us a picture of what 2020 looked like and your vision for the future.

Let me tell you how it started first as it was the greatest highlight so far (laughs). 2020 started very well for me by being all creative and visionary and finally launching my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ during the London Fashion Week at the House of iKons Fashion Show to raise awareness worldwide against female oppression and female circumcision in collaboration with the Spanish NGO Mundo Cooperante. However, a short time later in March of this year, the consequences of the corona virus brought the whole world to a standstill and of course had a significant impact on the whole world, so that there was no room for other topics. This year is a very difficult time for most people around the world and having an impact on it as a single person is relatively difficult. However, you can see a lot of movements in different countries this year, which caused a lot of disturbances and riots fighting and demanding for a positive change, e.g. the protests for freedom of expression in Hong Kong and in Belarus, the Black Lives Movement (BLM) where people protested against racism worldwide which I also supported and participated in Cologne, the Beirut explosion in Lebanon and of course the Corona Virus curfews and protests worldwide. I personally used the time to take care of myself and reflect on my life and the current political events worldwide and how to make a change and impact, especially with my campaign. Unfortunately, 2020 turned into a global crisis with all the events happening, since everyone was having high hopes in 2020 as a great positive change worldwide. It seems very traumatic as the consequences of the virus and the lockdowns have been affecting all cultural areas worldwide and very hard with many experiencing a stroke of fate, which is why it is even more important for me that my campaign has now started this year to draw more attention to women’s oppression and female circumcision worldwide. Especially since UN Women also reported that women suffered the most during the pandemic and lockdown, with a rapid rise in domestic violence. Women are also statically the majority working in the medical field at the front and as first responders. I also have sisters and female cousins who had to continue working as nurses during the crisis thus endangered themselves and their families with the deadly virus.

How did your upbringing influence you to be a voice for social issues? Why is this so important to you?

Raising my voice for social issues has clearly to do with my cultural background. Let me start by saying that the history of my KurdishYazidi (Ezidi) heritage was and still is the biggest reason why social issues are being so important to me. The Kurdish nation is still the largest nation in the world without an independent country and who have been fighting against terrorism, genocide, inequality, and racism with their neighboring countries and especially Turkey. And the history of my religious background as a Yazidi (Ezidi) woman is as current as we speak due to the genocide caused by ISIS since 2014 in Shingal in Iraq which we are still fighting for justice to be served.

My family and I were blessed to seek shelter in Germany and immigrated in 1991. However, the traumas caused by the war back then have affected our whole nation and my community and family members to this day. And growing up as a migrant child in Germany in the early 90’s I have experienced inequality and racism especially growing up in the countryside in a small town myself. So it is inevitable for a child with a horrific background like our nation’s to not be influenced by it and wanting to raise voices for social issues. Based on my origins, I developed a need for justice and I couldn’t close my eyes to the injustice in the world. I have always been interested in different cultures and therefore learned about social issues in different countries based on where my friends are from. These friendships have definitely taught me a lot and also allowed us to understand our similarities as well as our differences but most importantly the history and current governmental situations of our countries. All of this has a great effect on a nation and its people, so does it on mine. However, I have chosen to focus on women’s rights as I have experienced inequality within my own community and if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t have experienced such hardship in order to be heard.

Since 2014, I have seen the news and media about Kurds and Yazidis (Ezidis) in different ways due to the attacks by ISIS. However, our Kurdish women were and still are fighting on the frontline, risking their lives for an independent country. It was these female Kurdish soldiers, these badass women, who were saying that without equality within our own community there will be no independent Kurdistan. This is why it is so important to me and wanting to make an impact for a better change so that my unborn children and especially daughters have better opportunities in life.

You are an International Model. How have you joined forces with fashion and impact?

As an international model, I have used fashion to join forces with NGO’s like Mundo Cooperante and Plan International UK to use images that reflect and support their causes against FGM, child marriage, and forced marriages. I have also worked with several fashion shows like the House of iKons Fashion Show in London and Art Heart Fashion Show in Los Angeles and collaborated with different designers worldwide like Carat23, Tigerbite Jewels, Sigrun Design, Ana De Sa, and Dair Design to use and create images like the editorial photo shoot for ‘Red Ribbon’ to raise awareness on women’s oppression and fight for women’s rights. I’ve worked with photographers like J. Rosales Photography who understood the cause perfectly and therefore we were able to create such an interesting and powerful but soft editorial images for the ‘Red Ribbon’.

‘Red Ribbon’ Photo Shoot by Zarya Azadi

House of iKons – Lady K Production: CEO Mrs Savita Kaye Designer: Ana De Sa MUA: Makeup by Cindy Jewellery: Tigerbite Jewels by Mrs Mary Katrisiosi Baldwin Handbag: Carat23 by Carolina Riffi Ollite I have also joined forces with the beautiful online network called ‘Intercultural Network For The Highly Gifted’ by CEO Ms. Çiğdem Gül by using fashion related topics to raise awareness on current political events but also women’s rights. I really enjoy and love the work with this network and feel very supported and inspired to continue with my work and causes and have built a great friendship with Ms. Çiğdem Gül over the year. For the launch of my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ I have also collaborated with students from the University of the Arts London/ LCF like the photographers Jinjin Huang Photography and Qing Liu Photography and the fashion buyer and merchandiser Teresa Chen who will support me again for the February show 2021.

I’ve created another editorial photo shoot with the photographer Bont from Xubangte Photography also from the University of the Arts London/ LCF, the Pilipino Make-up artist Makeup by Cindy and a Turkish designer Gül Atelier to symbolize forced marriage, child marriage and honor killing based on the virginity and sexuality of women. I am in communication with Plan International UK to collaborate with my campaign using these images. These images are still being edited and will be published at a later stage. However, you get a sneak peek with one image which is my absolute favorite.

‘Evolve Your Heritage’ Photo Shoot by Zarya Azadi

Creative Director: Zarya Azadi Designer: Gül Atelier MUA: Makeup by Cindy I will also start a partnership with the Healthcare Marketing Agency Design Identity as they were looking for a good cause that they could support and immediately loved my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ and the cause behind it and willing to support me as much as they can to raise awareness. I am thankful for the support of both CEO’s Kornelius Thelen and Andrej Piatkowski who chose my campaign for their company’s charity support. I have also recently received the club leader handbook for the Girl Up campaign from the Girl Up Arab world group to create another subgroup for Girl Up Kurdistan. The Girl Up campaign is an UN foundation initiative to unite girls worldwide to change the world. They use the beautiful quote ‘When girls rise, we all rise’ which I think is beautiful and very uplifting. They had the Global Leadership Summit 2020 from 13-15 July which was a great success, having worldwide leaders, activists, athletes, and artists online for the summit e.g. Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Meghan Markle, Nadia Murad, Sheryl Sandberg, Stephen Curry, and Jameela Jamil just to name a few. I have already discussed this with the representatives of the Kurdish civil organization and received a very positive feedback and will be supported in creating the Girl Up Kurdistan group soon in order to spread the word also within our community. It’s very important for me to collaborate with international charity organizations as well as the Kurdish civil organization in order to create change.

Because of my engagements, I was offered by the representatives of the Kurdish civil organization to become an ambassador for the Kurdish Diaspora Centre (KDC) for Women in Germany. They like and support my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’ and are aware of the taboo subject ‘Red Ribbon’ and are giving me the chance to cooperate with the Kurdish Diaspora Women Centre to highlight the issues and create positive change.

Tell us about your work with the iKonic, House of iKons.

The work with the House of iKons goes way back since the launch of the fashion show in 2014 in London. I am very grateful for the support and understanding of me as an individual person, my background, and my social projects from the CEO Ms Savita Kaye. Collaborating with Savita for projects has been very inspirational and motivating which I am very pleased about. I believe that our different but similar cultural backgrounds make us understand our causes much easier. Savita is an Indian-Hindu growing up in the UK and me being a Kurdish-Yazidi (Ezidi) growing up in Germany makes us have a lot in common.

I have used the Lady K Production by Savita to create my first editorial photo shoot for ‘Red Ribbon’ which I also presented at the House of iKons Fashion Show exhibition room and on the catwalk walking for the fashion designer Ana De Sa. I was also the sponsor for that fashion show and launched my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’. I’m also sponsoring the February Show in 2021 again. House of iKons has been created as a platform to launch emerging designers to the next level and we have come up with the newest project by giving Kurdish designers the platform to showcase their collection in a Kurdish Solo Segment at the House of iKons Fashion Show from the 20-21 February 2021 with the beautiful title ‘The Hidden Beauty of Kurdistan’. The five Kurdish designers which have already been chosen and signed were also able to participate at the House of iKons Digital Fashion Show in September of this year. This was a bonus for my Kurdish designers and out of a good gesture from Savita which we are all very appreciative of.

How are you helping minorities to be seen and heard?

In order to help and support minorities to be seen and heard it is recommended to use an established and legitimate platform which I am doing with the House of iKons Fashion Show London. The Kurdish Solo Segment at the House of iKons Fashion Show from the 20-21 February 2021 with the beautiful title ‘The Hidden Beauty of Kurdistan’ is a great and unique opportunity to do so. This has never been done before and will be the first time in the history for Kurdish designers to be showcasing their collections during the London Fashion Week. It will allow us the amazing and beautiful opportunity to represent our nation as a colorful, creative, artistic, and visionary community. The beauty of Kurdish designs is enriched by deep colors and traditional and unique patterns. However, our fashion has become very modern and we will showcase from traditional clothing to streetwear, high fashion, bridal & evening gowns, and haute couture. I will be including Kurdish media, newspapers, and Kurdish celebrities to take part in the show to spread the word. I’ve already been in communications with most of them and received some confirmations already. I’m even planning a documentary on a German TV channel which is at the negotiation phase right now. I am very excited to work on this new project as it will open new doors and highlight the beauty and treasures of my culture. We want to be seen and recognized as people and as one nation and this is my way of giving them the opportunity to be seen in the world. I have been saying this so many times and will continue saying this; we are more than a war zone. It is important for us to support each other regardless of our differences in order to be recognized as a nation in the world. The five Kurdish designers that I have chosen and been in contact with have all been very grateful for the opportunity and told me that this is a dream come true. I have deeply connected with all of them as we have exchanged each other’s hardships and dreams. It is important to connect on a human level before continuing to work together as we are all a representation of one nation. We really want it to be good and professional and to give the wow-factor to the audience. All five designers are originally from different regions of Kurdistan and now live in different countries in Europe. Each of them shares their own unique stories. It is my great pleasure to introduce them to you live on stage from the 20-21 February 2021.

The five Kurdish designers so far are as follow: Atelier by Khoshkar Horre by Khoshkar Horre originally from Afrin, Kurdistan now based in London, UK -Yadê Couture Atelier by Sadiye Demir originally from Mardin, Kurdistan now based in Bern, Switzerland-Inci Hakbilen

by Inci Hakbilen originally from Haymana, Kurdistan now based in Hamburg, Germany -a la Mode by Ala Hadji originally from Zaxo, Kurdistan now based Berlin, Germany -JoJo Braut & Abendmode

by Nesrin Hasan originally from Rojava now based in Bochum, Germany All five designers and creations are unique in every way. However, I am still choosing more Kurdish designers and also looking for Kurdish traditional clothing. This is the first step in helping minorities to be seen and heard and I will continue creating more opportunities and projects in the future.

What progress has been made with women’s rights? How can we help?

The progress with women’s rights differs from each country, so it is not an answer I can give that would comply with all countries. Each country is facing its own issues with women’s rights. The progress in African, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries for example is long established in Western countries. Let’s take Saudi Arabia as an example where women have only been allowed to drive a car less than two years ago while women in Western countries are demanding equal pay. Let’s be very frank here, women’s rights is a global issue and not just country-based. President Barack Obama once said: If women ran every country in the world there would be a general improvement in living standards and outcomes.’’ I think that this is a very powerful statement that could make a positive change but we women have to work on this together. Women’s rights are basic human rights. I am not demanding to be treated better, just simply being treated as a human being. We women also have dreams, ideas, visions, passion, feelings, needs, and desires just as men. Not recognizing it

and even punishing this is an act of inhumanity. I like to see that at least these horrific practices like FGM, forced marriage, child marriages, and honor killings to be stopped globally as it is barbaric behavior for the very modernized and technologydominated world we are all living in. If technology can be enhanced and developed every single year how is it not possible to evolve one’s heritage and make women equal to men to be treated as human beings? I believe very strongly that the biggest organizations in the world like the United Nations, Amnesty International, and the European Commission could establish laws to protect women from these inhumane and barbaric acts worldwide.

The EU Commission is promoting gender equality and women’s rights beyond the EU and financially supports gender equality and women’s empowerment across the globe and cooperates e.g. with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the G20 and the G7, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). These and other important organizations can make positive changes regarding basic human rights for women. We just have to keep the conversation alive. I am certain that if we continue talking about these uncomfortable topics that can help to make a positive change. That is why I am using the fashion industry to continue the dialogue about these important topics in a digestible way. Vogue magazine had two covers this year with the titles ‘’Brave New World’’ and ‘’A New Decade for Change’’ which is also my appeal. You help by being brave enough to support these causes and keep the dialogue no matter if it’s an uncomfortable topic. Peace is only achieved when those who live in peace are disturbed and awakened.

Nobody ever made any significant changes by being like everybody else. I am different compared to many people in my community and have learned to embrace it. Also, well-behaved women never made any history either (laughs). It is important to speak one’s truth and acknowledge that great things never come from comfort zones.

Share your upcoming projects.

The biggest upcoming project and the main focus will be the Kurdish Solo Segment ‘The Hidden Beauty of Kurdistan’ at the House of iKons Fashion Show London from the 20-21 February 2021. This will give me the chance to use my contacts I have gained over the years to create an authentic but modern fashion segment to represent the Kurdish community. I will also launch my own fashion collection as a mix of modern and traditional clothing representing women’s equality and also honoring the badass Kurdish female fighters for the September’s House of iKons Fashion Show in London in 2021.

Some of my other upcoming projects had to be postponed or being done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I will still continue to raise awareness on social issues like women’s rights with the help of my campaign ‘Evolve Your Heritage’. Starting to publish more images in various magazines and being more vocal using my social media accounts, radio, and TV.

As a cooperating partner and an ambassador for the NGO Mundo Cooperante I will be able to continue with the work as soon as I can travel to Spain. I am still very excited to meet the Maasai Tribe and the women from Kenya to raise awareness about the cause and the handmade Maasai Bracelets. For more information please visit https://www.mundocooperante.org/ pulseras/eng/ As the field representative and spokeswoman for my local Yazidi (Ezidi) association – Verein der Eziden am unteren Niederrhein e.V. - Mala Ezdai Kalkar we are helping those in need during the easing of the pandemic and informing about the current events to the local community. I am constantly leading dialogues about equality for women within my own community. I am also supporting the emergency feeding program Tujilishe Emergency Fund created by the South Sudanese humanitarian Mario Joseph Konyen to help the most vulnerable in the villages of Nairobi, Kenya. Tujilishe means ‘’let’s feed ourselves’’ in Swahili. For more information and donation please visit GoFundMe.com https://www.gofundme.com/f/tujilishe As a member of the CDU Women’s Union, I am mainly focusing on the integration of women with migrant backgrounds to help with the integration within the local communities to help integrate with local communities while maintaining their identity and culture. I have recently joined the online network Women Heart to Heart as a member and an ambassador and I am excited about upcoming projects. It is a global invitation-only community and interesting network created by women for women to master together how to thrive on change, lead with grace, and create workplaces to long for. And as I mentioned earlier I will create and lead the Girl Up Kurdistan group and also act as an ambassador for the Kurdish Diaspora Women Centre in Germany. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, which I won’t be able to do all by myself. However, I am motivated in creating projects combining entertainment with good causes to create a positive change and collaborating with brilliant and understanding like-minded people for a better future.

https://www.zaryaazadi.com/

Hollywood Celebrity Journalist

Jules Lavallee