Afghan women: "I know the Taliban will destroy my works of art"
Afghan artist Rada Akbar and one of his works at Darul Aman Palace in Kabul on June 24.
She is now a refugee in France.
ADEK BERRY AFP
Text by: Sophia Khatsenkova Follow
7 mins
Since the Taliban took power, many Afghan women fear that they will no longer be able to live as freely as they have during the past 20 years.
This is the case of Rada Akbar, an Afghan artist and activist who has managed to flee the country in recent days.
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: Rada Akbar, how have you been feeling since your arrival in Paris?
Rada Akbar:
The only thing I can feel is that I am safe.
I am happy to be able to continue to express myself, the Taliban did not take away this freedom.
What all Afghans have gone through this past week is beyond horrific.
We all need time to realize what has happened.
I didn't have time to do it, there are a lot of things that I still don't understand ...
And what about your relatives who remained in Afghanistan?
We managed to repatriate my parents.
But my cousins and my friends are still stuck in Afghanistan.
And I am very worried because these are the last days of evacuation organized by France.
Many of them do not have the opportunity to appear on one of the repatriation lists.
If they can't get to the airport before the deadline, I don't know if the Taliban will let them leave the country.
Right now everyone is very careful.
The majority of my relatives no longer dare to go out.
Many have left their homes and are hiding elsewhere.
Tell us about the days leading up to your evacuation? What was the atmosphere like in Kabul?
I knew it was going to get worse, but not that way.
The closer we got to the deadline, the more difficult life was.
Many of my friends and relatives have started to leave the country.
I had decided to stay put because I had hope.
I knew we were going to lose some of our freedoms, but I never thought we were going to lose everything overnight.
► To read also: The situation of Afghan artists: "it is a great suffering"
When the Taliban arrived on Sunday August 15, I was trying to find a way to get my artwork out of the country and put it to safety. This is how I was contacted by the French Ambassador to discuss how we could save my works. The French Embassy told me I was in danger. She issued me a visa two days before the fall of Kabul. That day, I was in the car. The roads were crowded. Hundreds of people lined up in front of banks, travel agencies ... My friend called me and said: "
They are coming
". I was paralyzed, my brain couldn't understand what was going on. I rushed to my apartment and two hours later I was at theFrench Embassy.
How did you react to Joe Biden's announcement that confirmed the end of the withdrawal of American forces on August 31?
I was not surprised because I did not expect him to make efforts to save more lives.
Every time he makes a statement, I feel insulted.
He says the United States has no responsibility to us, that it's our fault ... It's so unfair.
I lost my hope and my confidence in Western countries, especially the United States.
They showed that the lives of Afghans are not that important.
What about the situation of women artists in Afghanistan?
They are very scared.
The Taliban have announced that they will not allow music or art.
It is for this reason that everyone is in a panic and destroying their works of art, documents or anything that can put them in danger.
The Taliban has been collecting information on Afghan women for months through their social media.
It is very scary.
I sent some of my coins out of the country, but many are still in Afghanistan.
I know the Taliban will destroy them.
But I don't want to think about it because it breaks my heart.
It was really difficult to be an artist in Afghanistan.
Losing everything like that destroys me.
I am furious but I promised myself that I will not stop making my voice heard and that I will not stop working either.
But today, people's lives are more important.
Me, I can redo art, because I am here in France, in safety.
My only concern at the moment is the lives of Afghans.
Have you often said that you felt frustrated with the portrayal of Afghan women in Western media? What message do you want to convey?
Through my art, I tried to make people understand that Afghan women were not born after 2001, with the American intervention.
We've been here for thousands of years.
We had brilliant female figures: queens, politicians, artists ... It's so insulting and unfair to hear people keep telling generalities about Afghan women, as if we were all the same.
And what do they say the United States saved us.
►Also read: Afghan women express their fears and concerns about the Taliban
The purpose of my work is to show the world that we did not begin to exist after 2001 and the American intervention.
I ask countries around the world not to turn their backs on Afghanistan and my people.
We don't deserve this.
These countries still have the power to put pressure on the Taliban.
► Rada Akbar was one of the artists whose works were exhibited at the MuCem in Marseille in 2019, in partnership with France Médias Monde. The museum has launched a fundraiser for Afghan artists. You can find the link by clicking here.
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