Staying Visible, Defying Limits: Afghan Culture at the Crossroads

For over forty years, war and displacement have threatened to erase Afghanistan's arts, languages and cultural heritage. Against these odds, artists have worked tirelessly – often with minimal resources – to keep cultural expressions and arts from fading into memory. Technology and social media have proved essential in bridging distances, forging new avenues for creative collaboration, and creating a sense of shared belonging. Yet, the struggle to preserve Afghan culture is fraught with challenges. Current political restrictions have silenced or criminalized many art forms and cultural expressions, particularly those created by women and other marginalized groups. Meanwhile, outside Afghanistan, diaspora artists face societal barriers and stigma, grappling with loss, longing, and the complexities of being “Afghan” abroad.

The Afghanistan Cultural Fund (ACF) was established in 2024 to support Afghan cultural practitioners working to preserve and promote Afghan culture under conditions of war, displacement and oppression. The fund is currently managed by the Goethe-Institut with the support of the Open Society Foundations and has supported over 50 projects across Afghanistan and in the Afghan diaspora since its inception.

“Staying Visible, Defying Limits: Afghan Culture in Transition” presents selected projects supported by the Afghanistan Cultural Fund that explore questions of identity, cultural heritage and what it means to keep culture alive in the context of Afghanistan. 

The evening program includes:

6:00 – 7:00   PM: Screening of Afghan short films
7:00 – 7:30   PM: Opening speech
7:30 – 9:00   PM: Panel discussion: “Between Perils and Progress”
9:00 – 9:30   PM: Tea and Afghan specialties
9:30 – 11:00 PM: “Mehmani” in Concert – Songs of Home and Belonging

The exhibition “The Silent Tears of Afghans” and the installation “The Diaspora Dialogues” will be exhibited in the ACUD Studio from 7 PM.