AFGHANISTAN: Art as Empowerment in Afghanistan

Can art change the world? The people at Freedom to Create believe it can. Since 2008, Freedom to Create has awarded its annual prize to honor "the power of art to fight oppression, break down stereotypes and build trust in societies where the social fabric has been ripped apart by conflict, violence and misunderstanding."

One of the 2009 runners-up, Sheenkai Alam Stanikzai, grew up in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Chel Dokhtaraan, The Forty Girls, is her installation piece about the violence committed against women and girls in Afghanistan. The piece includes 41 calendars depicting photographs and stories of women who have been killed. The title of the piece refers to a legend of 40 women who committed suicide when their home was invaded. The first calendar in the series is incomplete. It begins with the current year, thus asking the question: who will be next?

Obviously, we hope no one will. But since we live in the real world, not a mythical wonderland where all is peace, love, and unicorns, we need a back up plan. Enter the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom, or WILPF. WILPF has joined a coalition of major women's groups and peace organizations, including the Feminist Majority Foundation, calling on Congress to support the Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2009 (S.229/H.R.2214). This act provides a structure for administering funds to Afghan nonprofits by providing direct assistance to the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and grassroots non-governmental organizations that promote literacy, job training programs and health care services within an international human rights framework. All good things, and perhaps the next Sheenkai Alam Stanikzai will be among the recipients of these vital job training or health services.

In January 2009, the Senate bill was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it has remained while the committee busied itself with other important matters like a resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Fulbright program in Thailand. The House version has also been in committee since May 2009.

A year ago I attended a conference in Washington D.C. sponsored in part by the Feminist Majority Foundation. President Eleanor Smeal was speaking about the FMF's Campaign to Help Afghan Women and Girls. It was an impassioned, wonderful speech. What I most remember is her telling a story about women holding a rally for women's rights in the middle of Taliban country. These women put their lives at risk to stand in the middle of town and demand their most basic rights. Smeal argued that if they could take that risk, we could support them. The artists and activists, like those women and Sheenkai Alam Stanikzai, are doing their part to empower women in Afghanistan. Let's help them out. Ask your senators and representative to co-sponsor the Afghan Women Empowerment Act.