Tag Archives: freedom of artistic expression

A Story Of A Young Afghan Musician

After NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on April 14 2021 that the alliance had decided to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, Taliban forces almost immediately launched an aggressive offensive against the Afghani government, quickly capturing the capital city of Kabul on August 14 that same year.

In an instant, life changed in the country, and musicians (and other artists) were among those in fear of attacks on their artistic expression and loosing their livelihood as working musicians.

Now, roughly two years into the second Taliban era, many musicians find those concerns to be true.

Faisal (far left) with fellow Afghan musicians, when they were still allowed to play music.

Faisal (whose full name we don’t use for safety reasons) is one of these artists. He has always believed that music could be a tool towards peace, harmony and love, but under the current circumstances he is forbidden from practicing his art.

When Faisal was a young boy, he heard something that moved him deeply. He described to me how he walked into a room, seeing a lady play an old Afghan song on the piano. He found the music and the whole encounter to be something very beautiful and comforting.

Finally the day came where he started learning to play the piano under the guidance of Mr. Haroon Halimi. Later he started playing professionally in collectives and bands such as Chakawak, Dawood Niga, West Youths and others.

Faisal performing in Afghanistan, before the Taliban takeover. Video sent to us by Faisal himself.

At a young age, Faisal was quickly establishing himself as a sought after pianist, for live concerts and studio recordings alike, and with his music playing he used to be able to support himself and his family. That is, before the fall of Afghanistan.

Faisal tells me that he believes all artists should have the freedom to practice their passion and make a living for their families. He hopes that by sharing his story he can help create a change in his country that, before the long conflict, was a colorful place filled with an immense amount of beautiful history and culture.

“I wish for a brighter future, where music can heal wounds, inspire unity and allow artists to freely serve their communities.

– Faisal, Afghan musician

For the time being Afghan artists must wait, in hope for things to change, and pray they don’t get hurt in the process. In solidarity, we can all pressure our own governments around the world to help relocate artists that are in particular risk for their lives.

If you are an artist at risk, in Afghanistan or elsewhere, there are several organisations which can possibly help in a variety of ways. Some are listed below.

  • France’s PAUSE: this program requires finding a host university or institution in France.
  • Martin Roth Initiative is a fellowship accepting applications up until September 2023.
  • Safety and Risk Mitigation Organization: SRMO is offering psychosocial support and safety training for Afghan HRDs in the country and launching a website where individuals can access secure resources in real-time. Email: srmo.afg@gmail.com
  • Madre provides the following resources to Afghan Human Rights Defenders: Human rights violation documentation training, Relocation Guide, Resources Manual. Email hsaeed@madre.org.
  • To get in touch with the Afghanistan Human Rights Coordination Mechanism contact info@afghancoordination.org
  • To get in touch with Freedom House’s Program for Afghan Defenders, contact afghanistan@csolifeline.org

Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi, Known For His Anti-Government Protest Songs Has Been Arrested

The dissident rapper, commonly known by his first name Toomaj, was arrested by Iranian authorities on the 30th of October, just over a week ago. This is not the first time Toomaj has been arrested by the Islamic regime.

His family fears for his safety as authorities have accused him of “propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments and forming illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country,”, acts for which the punishment can be the death penalty.

In the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini protests have grown massive in Iran, as well as in other parts of the world. Thousands of people have been detained during the unrest, including artists, activists and journalists, for using their voice and sadly many people have lost their lives.

It is believed that Toomaj was arrested, and, according to his family, tortured in prison because of his lyrics. In one of his last music videos, before his arrest, his lyrics included:

“Someone’s crime was dancing with her hair in the wind. Someone’s crime was that he or she was brave and criticized… 44 years of your government. It’s the year of failure.”

A petition demanding the safe release of the artist can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/salvate-toomaj-salehi-musicista-iraniana


Iranian Protest Song Gains Thousands Of Submissions For New Grammy Award

As powerful and popular many protest songs have been throughout history they have not had their own category at one of the world’s largest music awards ceremony – until now.

The annual Grammy Awards, in the US, have now added a new category called “Best Song for Social Change”. With this The Recording Academy aims to recognise songs with profound social influence and impact.

Also read: Iran Arrests Singer Whose Song Became Anthem Of Ongoing Protests

One song in particular has by now received a vast amount of submissions for the new award. “Baraye” by 25-year-old Iranian musician, Shervin Hajipour, was written in response to the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini.

The song went viral on social media, gaining over 40 million views, before Hajipour was arrested by Iranian authorities. The artist has since then been released on bail.

In a recent Instagram post, Hajipour denied any links to any “movement or organisation outside the country” and said clarified that his song was only meant to “express solidarity with the people”.

“Thousands turn out in Melbourne to stand in solidarity with protests that have broken out in Iran following the death of 22-year old Mahsa (also known as Jina or Zhina) Amini at the hands of the country’s brutal dictatorship and its ‘morality’ police.” Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.

In a statement, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said: “The Academy is deeply moved by the overwhelming volume of submissions for Shervin Hajipour’s ‘Baraye’ for our new Special Merit Award, Best Song for Social Change.

“While we cannot predict who might win the award, we are humbled by the knowledge that the Academy is a platform for people who want to show support for the idea that music is a powerful catalyst for change.

“The Academy steadfastly supports freedom of expression and art that’s created to empower communities in need. Because music serves the world, and the Recording Academy exists to serve music.”

Cover image, “Shervin-Hajipour-Khoobe-Man.jpg”, by Sepher Sabah. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0.