There is so much to say about the event on Oct. 7th — a reunion of artist friends, a meeting of new friends, and a commemoration. Yellow candles lit the Mandragoras Gallery where Afghan Americans and an Afghan Brit came together to share the process of art-making and self-making during these years of war in Afghanistan, life post-9/11 for Afghans in the diaspora.
The evening was presented in three rooms.
Room 1: Video Art by Mariam Ghani, Gazelle Samizay and Yusuf Misdaq on loop. Then a screening of Wazhmah Osman’s Postcards from Tora Bora, which also features clips from super 8 family films from Afghanistan in the 1960s and 70s. It was priceless.
The gallery:
Readings:
Room 3: Zakarya Sherzad (on Cello) performs with Sinan (on Oud) as a video art piece juxtaposing the mountains of Afghanistan and the catastrophe of the World Trade Centers in his haunting and powerful poetry on being split yet connected by the catastrophes of both places.
Sahar Muradi’s performance of Questions & Answers that Afghan Americans deal with:
Thank you for the 150 friends and family who came to the event!
Looks like it was a great event Zohra! Thanks for sharing this. Missed you all!
Afifa Jaan we missed you too! And Thanks for sharing and documenting Zohra Jaan — especially my puberty stricken photo ;)
But you forgot to include pics of your own incredible performance/reading!