Afghan Women's Writing Project

Aisha introduction

Aisha was born in Pakistan and spent part of her childhood in Malaysia before the family returned to Afghanistan. She is in college in Afghanistan, majoring in information technology.

Feathers of Freedom, Washed Away

I do not trust those who claim to support women’s rights in Afghanistan. How can I? Their work may bring forth one blossom, but that does not create spring. Let them stay in their offices and take their monthly salaries, but do not tell me they support women’s rights.

How can I trust, when I have witnessed the following.

New Councilwomen Break Barriers In Farah

Mohammad Nazir Khadmat , who is the head of the provincial council in Farah, said he supported the inclusion of women on the board. “To build a country, men and women should work hard and honestly together,” he says. “We appreciate people who understood that and voted for both men and women.”

Welcome to the new AWWP website

I hope you like the new look for the AWWP site. There are a few glitches that I’m working on, in particular images that are not loading properly and poem excerpts that need reformatting. It’ll all be shipshape in a day or two. //Stefan

The Ground Shook: A Bomb in Kabul

I moved with heavy legs, stepping on small pieces of glass which looked like a white sparkling carpet. I walked until the street turned brown and dusty again. Wailing, screaming, and shouting, and the sirens of the ambulances and police cars filled my ears.

Out of Silence

Out of Silence: Readings from the Afghan Women’s Writing Project
Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles
March 8, 2010

Home Now

I looked out the window. The sky was gray; it was a nice, rainy day. The weather was clean and not dusty anymore. I could feel the freshness of the air. I was in my office listening to the sound of rain. I love to listen to water fall; it relaxes me. I smelled the ground and the greens. I leaned back, deep in thought, and closed my eyes, listening to the rain, the rain in Afghanistan. I felt delighted that I was in Kabul enjoying the rain. I was thankful to be in my motherland with my family, friends, and fellow citizens.

While the Schools Burn

“I am burning,” says the school. / “Who will save me?” cries the school. / “Where are my students, the teachers, our friends?” / “Why do the Taliban burn me?” They are not literate.

Farah Marks Women’s Day

For the first time since the fall of the Taliban, the province of Farah joined the global community in celebrating International Women’s Day. “Today is special and is a day of happiness for the women of Farah. Islam gave equal rights to both women and men, but it is women who have more rights because heaven belongs to women,” said the province governor, Rohullah Amin. “Women are mothers and help their children grow up to be healthy and educated. I want the women of Farah Province to educate their daughters because then their daughters can educate the community.”

Part of Our Lives Now

“Oh my God—we’ve been attacked by a suicide bomber,” Mursal shouted. I was scared but I didn’t shout because I didn’t want Mursal to be scared even more. It was Mursal’s first time to experience such a blast, though I had experienced an earlier deadly explosion at the Indian Embassy.