Zahra, a 19-year-old Afghan girl living in Germany, tells us her story of finding herself through her journey from the city where she was born, Kabul, to Germany, where she is now. A lover of photography, cycling, and filmmaking, she says she has become a new person, now longing for a better world by following her passions.
Zahra’s Story
Before the takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Zahra was a high school student in Kabul, the capital of the country. “I was one of the last generation of girls who had permission to study at school and graduate,” Zahra says. The 19-year-old Afghan teenager grew up following her passions for cycling, photography, and art.
After Taiban came to power, Zahra had no choice but to leave. It was not easy, though.
“It was a time of uncertainty; it was very difficult for us.” She explains.
After a few months, when she was certain they were going to leave the country, she had an idea. She wanted to find a way to keep the memories she made in Kabul. So, she started taking videos and pictures of the streets and people of the city, but under her veil.
“I was very scared, but these are very beautiful memories to carry with me because I had the chance to show the pain of the girls who are watching the world behind the prison. I wanted to carry the feeling I was experiencing to show the world what is happening in Afghanistan and what it is like to see something from behind a barrier.”
A few days later, her family found a way to get to Pakistan. She then spent more than eight months in limbo, waiting to get to Germany. Now, she is residing in Germany, with her family.
“I never thought I would be the person I am today. I was just a little girl who was growing up in Afghanistan, and I am getting to know who I am now in Germany.”
What Zahra says about girls’ education
“I know Afghan girls are so smart; they were all the top scorers in the university entrance exam (Kankoor exam) each year,” Zahra says as she reflects on the education ban on her fellow Afghan girls.
The Taliban, the militant nationalist organization that rules Afghanistan now, has banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education. Girls cannot continue school after 6th grade and beyond. They believe education is against their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Zahra’s Passions
After Zahra could get to a safe place, she started to think about how she could help raise awareness about what was happening back home. She describes that feeling as a fire in her heart, longing to do something to help. After a while, Zahra decided to make a photography collection along with her sister, Manizha Abbasi, who worked as a journalist with Afghanistan’s most-known TV channels. “Our photos are for the girls who are still alive, the girls who are dead, or the girls who will be born in the future. These are the stories of all of us.”
Zahra is also a committed cyclist. She started cycling when she was 12 years old, just for fun.
“For me, it was always a question: why can’t girls do cycling like boys can easily?”
Growing up in Afghanistan taught her to be silent and obedient as a girl, while boys were free to do what they wanted.
With time, she developed a deep passion for cycling, which led to her dream of joining the national cycling team of Afghanistan. Her dream couldn't be turned into reality after the fall of the country.
Future
“I love a saying from Malala. She says that when the whole world is silent, even one voice is powerful. So, I think of my voice as that. And when I am thinking about myself, I remember my people, for instance, my cousins. I try to remember them, and I ask myself, Why not continue now when I can?” Zahra finds inspiration by reliving her own past experiences.
When thinking about her future career, she dreams of becoming a filmmaker. “When I was in Afghanistan, I had the passion to become a doctor. During our stay in Pakistan for about eight months, I started to find myself through art. I fell in love with storytelling. Then, I decided to become a filmmaker.”
At the age of 19, Zahra has already made three astounding short films based on her experiences. Her first short film, “For Me, For You," was nominated for the Girls Go Movie Festival 2023 in Germany and also won the OK-TV-Förderpreis gestiftet vom Offenen Kanal Ludwigshafen Award. Her other film, Ali’s Story, was nominated for the PILNet Award in 2023. As well as the videos and pictures she took during her last days in Afghanistan, they are now put together in a short film named “Behind the Veil," which has been published in Germany as well.
“I hope the newborn girls and boys of our country will live in a peaceful Afghanistan. If we do not have the chance, I hope they can. I hope they can have the power to choose where to live. Not be trapped out of their country, like us.”
Photos courtesy of Zahra Abbasi | Submitted to HerStory
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