Dr Sarmast's Music School

Afghanistan's Institute of Music helps revitalise a ruined culture and gives children a chance to transform their lives. Source Al Jazeera




Filmmakers: Polly Watkins and Beth Frey
In 2001, when the Taliban was toppled from power, Afghanistan's musical culture was left in ruins. Music gradually came back onto the streets and into people's lives, but by 2009 there was still no orchestra capable of playing the Afghan national anthem.
In that year, renowned musicologist Dr Ahmad Sarmast returned from exile in Australia, and the Ministry of Education charged him with establishing the first National Institute of Music (ANIM). Based in what had been Kabul's School of Fine Arts, ANIM got off to a slow start: the building was a ruin and there were virtually no instruments.

Dr Sarmast's Music School follows ANIM's progress over two years as, gradually, the school is repaired and made habitable. Fine instruments - many donated by foreign sponsors - flood in, and the school's 150 pupils gradually learn to play to professional standards.
Perhaps, most importantly, ANIM offers hope to some of the country's most deprived children; those snatching a meagre income from working on the streets who find - through music - a way to transform their lives.

Why Taliban targeted Department of Traffic?

I guess Taliban attacked Department of Traffic following the below aims:

1. Department of Traffic have recorded various information regarding the cars that Taliban have been using. 

2. This department have tracked what kinds of car, with what plate, color made by what countries and where they have enter through in Afghanistan. 

3. Department of Traffic has recently passed new law on plates, license and other stuff to not only control traffic jam, but also find terrorists much better.

Since we don't have electronic professional storing and recording systems, we might have lost bulks of information and records. That's why Taliban/insurgents targeted Department of Traffic, although it is said that they were aimed to fire on Border Police Department (that I doubt). 

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A Letter to my Joint Afghan and Non-Afghan Friends

A Letter to my Joint Afghan and Non-Afghan Friends

Here, I want to express my idea about foreigners and their existence in Afghanistan.

As an Afghan, who is concerned about his national territory and national independence, I am worried of international political interferences in my national political affairs. It is the same in any other country and has to be like this.

But as someone who is passionate for the future of his country, we need to have internationals and foreigners with us not only for broader communication and international relationship, but also to interact with them more friendly rather than diplomatically.

In almost all of Afghans minds, foreigners have a military face and appearance, since the US and its coalition have come to bring security through weapons and war against terrorism.

I believe that what foreigners need to know is "changing their face" from a POLITICAL and MILITARY one to a friendly, helpful and passionate one. I personally need foreigners to help me more academically. I want to find and visit them mostly as academicians, musicians, actors, peace-makers, poets, novelists, philosopher, theorist, filmmaker.

To my Afghan friends, even we should try to help them change their face; we shall ask them to be in a more favorite and friendly way (as mentioned above).

My foreigner friends (whoever you are, where ever you live, and whatever you do), if you want Afghans be your friends, change your face and grab my hand kindly.

I want to be your brother not your sworn enemy.

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Sabrina Saqib speaks at Harvard Kennedy School

The Tipping Point: Elevating Women for Global Security


Rahaa Altalli from Syria, Wafa Bugaighis from Libya, Julia Duncan-Cassell from Liberia, Ja Nan Lahtaw from Myanmar, Sofi Ospina from Colombia, and Sabrina Saqeb from Afghanistan sit with Ambassador Swanee Hunt to discuss their experiences participating in the peace building process. This event was co-sponsored by the Center for Public Leadership, the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and the Women and Public Policy Program.

Source: Harvard Kennedy School website

Dear friends,

We all know that Afghanistan is the country of problems and troubles. There have hypothesized different theories on how to RECONSTRUCT(?) Afghanistan, democratize it and find best solutions to solve her problems.

It is always believed that Afghans themselves can be the core element to solve the problems. And we have brought so many tangible changes in our daily lives. One of the means through and by which we have experienced the changes was SOCIAL MEDIA and particularly Facebook.

We have witnessed since last year the following changes brought through Facebook:

1. Shariati Professor
2. Two Hazara pilot girls
3. Hazara genocide in Quetta (Hazaras strike in Quetta made provincial governance collapsed)
4. Shojaee and Uruzgan
5. Taqi Bakhtiary
6. Number 39
7. Shakila murder (sexual abuse) and some others

Bringing changes need commitment, hardworking and financial as well as time energy. We Afghans have proven that we are committed, hardworkers and ready to spend our life time to have a secure and prosperous country.

As a friend, my concern, which looks like a question and recommendation, is that "why do not we take action seriously and well-planned for a while consecutively in order to bring desirable changes?" We just random write about political stuff and then stop it. We post and advocate for corruption one day, and after a while, we stop it.

Let's committed campaign for women rights to get it. Let's campaign for peace all of us to bring it. Let's campaign for "Transition Decade" all of us together and turn this nightmare to a nice and fruitful dream.

Hazaras Are Always Being Played By Their Politicians

Again we Hazaras went to a nightmare; the nightmare that has stopped us pondering over other important issues that have more dangerous and longer impacts on our lives.

Our president, Hamed Karzai, travelled to the US and made his final decision that would have potential and actual effects on generation after generation of, not only Hazaras, but also other ethnic groups. 

Why don’t we now pay attention to that? It has always been a political trick to make Afghans busy with issues like Hazara genocide in Pakistan in order to make their final decision: slavery of Afghans. 

Please get up, raise your voices in this issue and advocate as good as you have done for Hazaras in Pakistan.

Do not you think that Muhaqiq and Khalili are calm because they have dealt over our future? 

Think a bit about it and then leave your comments.