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Goethe-Institut im Exil

Afghanistan Festival

In the second half of 2023, the Goethe-Institut in Exile was dedicated to Afghanistan’s cultural scene and the Afghan diaspora. The country focus on Afghanistan was opened with a festival from 30 June – 2 July 2023. Theater performances, readings, panel discussions, concerts, a radio programme, workshops and a participatory street art project were part of the programme.

Here you will find selected content on the country focus Afghanistan and the highlights of the opening festival. 

Please take a look at the complete festival programme here:
 
 

Festival Review Afghanistan

During the opening festival, several artistic productions from the Afghan diaspora and the German-Afghan art scene were presented at Berlin's Kunsthaus ACUD. For the duration of the festival, Kunsthaus ACUD was transformed into a project space for Afghan artists and cultural workers.

With this video we would like to review the impressions of the festival.

PICTURE GALLERY

The three-day opening festival (30 June – 2 July 2023) of the country focus Afghanistan offered an interdisciplinary programme. Elements of traditional and contemporary culture were presented as well as current discourses of the diaspora. One focus was on making Afghanistan’s diverse female and diverse art and cultural production visible.

  • The television and radio journalist Sohayla Asghary stands on a podium and speaks to the audience, which can be seen on the right in front of her. © Ksenia Yanko
    TV and radio journalist Sohayla Asghary hosted the opening ceremony of the festival.
  • Rubab player Fazila Zamer and tabla player Ustad Feraydoon Meyazada play music. © Ksenia Yanko
    The opening ceremony was musically accompanied by rubab player Fazila Zamer and tabla player Ustad Feraydoon Meyazada.
  • A crowd of people can be seen from above. Most of them are talking to each other in small groups. © Soliman Saien
    The Kunsthaus ACUD and its courtyard invited people to exchange ideas over Afghan food and tea.
  • Elaha Soroor & Band © Ksenia Yanko
  • The photo shows the smiling music producer Farhot at his DJ booth. © Ksenia Yanko
    The crowning finale of the first evening was the DJ sets by Farhot and Masta Sai. The music producer Farhot played music in which he combines elements of traditional Afghan music and pop culture.
  • Two people draw and write on a large sheet of paper. © Ksenia Yanko
    The artist and calligrapher Abdul Wahab Mohmand led a workshop combining calligraphy with painting.
  • A cow and a puppet stand on a raised stage. In front on the right is the puppeteer Abdul Haq Haqjoo. © Soliman Saien
    Puppeteer and director Abdul Haq Haqjoo showed his interpretation of the Grimm fairy tale "Hans in Luck", which focuses strongly on the situation in his home country Afghanistan.
  • Shir Khan Ahmadzai, Wieland Jagodzinski, Homan Wesa and Abdul Haq Haqjoo sit next to each other. Abdul Haq Haqjoo speaks. © Soliman Saien
    Shir Khan Ahmadzai, Wieland Jagodzinski, Homan Wesa and Abdul Haq Haqjoo discussed puppet theatre in Afghanistan after the theatre performance.
  • Three children paint on a large canvas where the street art work of the art collective ArtLords is created Goethe-Institut im Exil
  • Two women embrace each other. Facing the camera is the journalist Zainab Farahmand. © Ksenia Yanko
    Some cultural workers and participants of the festival met again after a long time - like here the journalist Zainab Farahmand, who moderated the panel "On the diversity and preservation of culture in Afghanistan around in exile".
  • A group of young people sit in a boat made of paper. The room is lit in blue and fog rises. © Ksenia Yanko
    In the theatre performance "Fear and Hope" (director: Frishteh Sadati), young people from the theatre ensemble AWA recount their journey to Europe, regaining power over their own narratives piece by piece.
  • Marina Mohammadi, Ibrahim Hotak and Naeema Ghani sit next to each other. Naeema Ghani speaks, Mr Hotak listens to her with a smile. © Ksenia Yanko
    The writers Naeema Ghani and Marina Mohammadi read from the anthology "My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women" (MacLehose Press, 2022) and discussed current issues and challenges with Ibrahim Hotak and the audience.
  • The musician Maschall Ander smiles. In front of her, blurred dancing people can be seen. © Soliman Saien
    The singer and harmonium player Maschall Ander, who has been fascinated by music since her childhood, thrilled the audience with her songs in Paschto, Dari, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
  • A child is shown sitting at the table from behind. On the table are self-made stages and figures, pens and paper. © Soliman Saien
    In a paper theatre workshop led by Shir Khan Ahmadzai and Mohammad Karim Asir, the participants made their own stages and figures. Afterwards, small scenes were performed.
  • The participants of the panel discussion can be seen in the background. The audience is sitting in front of them. In the foreground of the picture, a bookstall can be seen out of focus. Foto: Ksenia Yanko © Goethe-Institut im Exil
    The panel took stock of the current situation of Afghan writers in Germany. Participants in the discussion were Hadia Armaghan, Taqi Akhlaqi, Mohibullah Zegham, Dr. Mohammad Dawood Wafa and Sur Israfil.
  • Torkan Omari (left) and Mina Jawad (right) are sitting together at a table with two glasses on it. The two people are engrossed in a conversation. Foto: Soliman Saien © Goethe-Institut im Exil
    In the theatre performance "Shar-e Naw in Berlin" (directed by Mina Jawad), Nasrin, an Afghan migrant in Germany, visits her exiled friend Spozhmai in Berlin. An ordinary evening quickly turns into a profound exploration of their identities against the backdrop of colonised norms, prejudices and stereotypes.
  • The festival ended with a hip-hop concert by AK13 and breakdancing by the Superiors Crew. After enthusiastic shouts from the audience, AK13 played four encores. © Ksenia Yanko

Radio Programme

During the festival, a radio programme was recorded in cooperation with reboot.fm and Refuge Worldwide, presenting recordings of individual programme items as well as exclusive interviews with festival artists. In addition, the programme contains multi-faceted playlists, for example curated by the Afghan-born German rapper Ismael Hares. What did music sound like in Afghanistan in the 70s?

Listen to the festival programme, the playlists and interviews.

AK13 im Studio von reboot.fm © Ksenia Yanko © Ksenia Yanko

Interviews

Artists who actively participated in the program of the opening festival Afghanistan give insights into their artistic work and share personal experiences.

  • “This way we create hope”

    In this interview, multidisciplinary artist Qeas Pirzad presents his artistic work in the context of his perspective as a descendant of Afghan immigrants.  

    English with English subtitles

    Interview with Qeas Pirzad

  • “A voice for all those people who are voiceless”

    President and CEO of the art collective ArtLords Omaid Sharifi talks about the meaning and symbolic power of the participatory mural “Re-Set: Art in Exile”.

    English with English subtitles

    The artist Omaid Sharifi answers an interview question

Panel recording

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