Fr 03 Sept – 19:00 – #standbyafghanistan

By Raoni Saleh

On the 3rd of September I’m organising with the help of Brilho da Noite, a ritualistic informative gathering to stand by Afghanistan.

It is incredibly painful to see the rise of the Taliban with such ease, the desperation of my peoples trying to get out and the huge lack of accountability of the West for the destruction it left on its holy trail called “war on terrorism” is simply enraging. On top of that, the information that is being spread about Afghanistan in the mainstream media is reinforcing the image of a rotten land with veiled women and barbaric bearded men. It is one that makes us in the West shrug our shoulders either from lack of sympathy or from a place of guilt and hopelessness: ‘ah, what more can one do for that land?’ With this event I hope to change this narrative & light up the fire of compassionate action!

As a queer Afghan Hazara diaspora I feel that right now it’s my responsibility to be a resource for people who do not have immediate access & understanding towards the situation of Afghanistan but are willing to learn. You are invited to bring ur questions to the space and I’ll try my best to answer them. I also intend to invite 2 other Afghan comrades who can engage in the conversation from their lived experiences.

Prior to the conversation I will lead a small prayer ritual with the help of my friend Kaloyá, for the lives fallen in the decades of war that has been haunting Afganistan. After that there will be an open mic and anybody who wants to share something that sits on their heart is welcome (sounds/poetry/story/song/prayer etc.).

At last there will be food cooked by the amazing Brilho da Noite & friends and there will be a bar for a small hangout.

Due to COVID-restrictions there’s only a limited capacity at the theatre, so there’s place for 30 people. We will also live-stream the event so that other curious kindred can join in.