Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Afghanistan
blog

Letter from Afghanistan, after fleeing to Iran: it is not safe to be a woman or an artist

Sadaf Danish, an artist from Afghanistan, had to escape the Taliban but fears for the girls left behind

Sadaf Danish
21 October 2022
Share
Sadaf Danish created an art group in her hometown of Kunduz whose members painted works on walls around the city, many on topics linked to peace and human rights Photo: Sadaf Danish

Sadaf Danish created an art group in her hometown of Kunduz whose members painted works on walls around the city, many on topics linked to peace and human rights Photo: Sadaf Danish

Hello, I am Sadaf Danish, an artist from Afghanistan. More than a year has passed since the destruction of my dreams. I studied hard in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, so that I could boost the role of women in the society. This motivation started when I was only 14 years old; I had a friend named Mahtab, whose name means moon in English. She was a young girl who wanted to study and be a useful person in society.

But her father said: “You are a girl, you don’t have the right to education, you should only get married and reproduce.” Mahtab’s childhood and dreams became a victim of forced marriage. After getting married, Mahtab got pregnant at the age of 15. Her husband tortured her and finally killed her. I was shocked and very scared when my friend was killed. But Mahtab’s husband was not punished. I will never forget that cruelty.

I promised myself that I will fulfil the wishes of Mahtab. During school, I always wrote poems about women. Since childhood, I have been very interested in art, and sometimes I used to paint in school, but no one cared about painting. After finishing school in Kunduz, I created an art group in Kunduz province and recruited a number of female and male artists.

The works were all painted over when the Taliban took over the country just over a year ago

Photo: Sadaf Danish

Defending women’s rights

My goal was to paint on the walls of the city and defend the rights of women. We held a big exhibition in Kunduz and displayed 300 paintings about women’s rights, peace and war [March 2021]. Our activities were published in reputable media in Afghanistan and even appeared in the international media. At that time, Kunduz was surrounded by the Taliban from four sides, but I continued my activities with all my courage. I had become exactly what Mahtab wanted: a useful person in society. I was a human rights activist, a civil society activist, head of an art group and I was even invited on to prestigious TV shows in Afghanistan, and received more than 50 letters of appreciation. I was very happy.

But my happiness did not last long. Taliban took the city of Kunduz, which burnt in the middle of fire. All the people were running away. My family sent me to Iran to save my life. The 15th August 2021 was a day the Taliban painted Kabul black, like a painting. I couldn’t make Mehtab’s wishes come true, but I want the world to hear her wishes. Currently in Afghanistan, no girl has the right to study and I don’t know what will be the fate of girls in my country, I don’t know if I can return to my country again—do I have the right to progress in life or not?

• This letter was originally published in The Art Newspaper's September issue, 2022

AfghanistanLettersWar & ConflictTaliban
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Dispatches from Afghanistanfeature
16 December 2021

'I'll do anything I can to save them all': an Afghan contemporary artist on life after narrowly escaping the Taliban

In our series "Dispatches from Afghanistan", we speak to artists about their experiences since the rise of the Taliban. Here, Jahan Ara Rafi calls on the international community to help rescue those still stuck in the country

Sarvy Geranpayeh
Dispatches from Afghanistananalysis
6 October 2021

Desperate and in hiding, Afghan artists beg international community for help

Courageous artists confronted extremism from the frontlines. But now, driven underground and fearing for their lives, they feel abandoned

Sarvy Geranpayeh
Artistsnews
16 November 2023

World is ‘blindly failing’ persecuted Afghan artists, human rights organisation says

As a new report is released, the US-based Artistic Freedom Initiative demands refugee status for artists and cultural workers under threat from Taliban rule

George Nelson
Dispatches from Afghanistanfeature
5 October 2021

An Afghan cultural worker’s life under the Taliban: 'There is nothing left for us here and we can’t go anywhere else'

In a new series "Dispatches from Afghanistan", we speak to artists about their experiences since the rise of the Taliban. Here, Mansoor laments the world’s silence over Afghanistan's fate

Sarvy Geranpayeh