Panel Discussion
The years 2001-2021 and the role of international cultural work

Sun, 02.07.2023
6:00 PM - 20:00 ACUD Studio

The years 2001 - 2021 were marked by the military presence of the USA and its NATO partners in Afghanistan. During this intervention, democratisation processes were initiated. Culture played a central role in this process. In addition to Kassel, documenta 13 (2012) also took place in Cairo and Kabul - reflecting the hope at the time for the further stabilisation of Afghanistan. This hope was bitterly disappointed in Afghanistan. What remains of events like documenta 13 today and what role did support for culture play in the years 2001-2021? The artist Aman Mojaddedi criticises that the international promotion of culture at the time instrumentalised the art scene. The aim was to present a supposedly improved state of Afghanistan to justify the withdrawal of the international military. Did alternative art forms such as street art or hip hop really only emerge with the help of international aid funds? Many artists who worked with international cultural institutions between 2001-2021 feel like losers today. How resistant can culture be? Was culture in Afghanistan a pawn of politics and is it really lost? What role did gender diversity play in international cultural policy at the time? 

Moderation: 

© TOLOnews TV

Noor Saeed Shinwari (born in 1989) studied cultural and literary studies at Kabul University. Most recently, he worked in Afghanistan as a news editor, presenter and executive producer of the political talk show "Tawde Khabre" (Eng: "Hot Talkshow") of TOLOnews.

Gäste: 

© Mohamad Alzabadi

Norbert Spitz (born in 1953) studied sociology and education with a focus on the sociology of education, followed by a doctorate. Later he studied music and international relations. Since 1987 he has worked at the Goethe-Institut with leadership positions in Khartoum, Montreal, Kabul, Beirut, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Hamburg and Amman. Since September 2021 until 31 May 2023, he was the Goethe-Institut's representative for the local staff and partners of the Goethe-Institut Afghanistan.
 

© Manizha Omarzad

Rahraw Omarzad (born in 1964) has been a central figure in the Afghan cultural scene since the early 2000s. As an artist and opponent of Russian aggression in Afghanistan, he was imprisoned several times from 1982 onwards. He was involved in the publication of several magazines and is the founder and editor of the art magazine "Ghanama/e/hunar" (1998). In 2004 he founded the CCAA Centre for Contemporary Art Afghanistan and in 2006 the Women Art Centre in Afghanistan. After the return of the Taliban on 15 August 2021, he fled first to Turin and then to Frankfurt am Main. Rahraw Omarzad's video works have been exhibited worldwide, including at Documenta 13 in Kassel.
 

© Sulaiman Hedayat

Omaid Sharifi is an artist, president and CEO of Wartists and ArtLords, and a fellow at Harvard University. He is a board member of the global civil society network CIVICUS, as well as a board member and alumni of the Atlantic Council's Millennium Leadership Programme and a recipient of the Global Pluralism Award.
 

© Malalai Zikria

Malalai Zikria was born in Kabul, but moved with her family to France as a child, where she later studied. In 2001, she founded an NGO in France to support Afghan youth in France. In 2005, she went to Afghanistan to support disadvantaged women and children. She worked as a French teacher and directed two documentaries. In 2015, she was a producer and actress in the Afghan film "Utopia" (directed by Hassan Nazer). Malalai Zikria was, among others, a jury member at the Delhi International film festival in 2016 and at the Nador Film Festival in Morocco in 2018. She was most recently in front of the camera for the film "The Winners" (2022, directed by Hassan Nazer).

Wazhma

© Wazhma Tokhi

Tokhi is an Afghan human rights activist who is particularly committed to women's empowerment and education in Afghanistan. Tokhi comes from Zabul province, a war-torn and patriarchal province. She studied law and political science at the Malali Institute of Higher Education and worked for many years with various international and national NGOs funded by USAID, the Afghan government and international embassies. She was a volunteer member of the Afghan Youth Parliament, which addresses women's concerns and issues. Tokhi worked as a legal advisor, trainer, communications officer and coordinator for women-specific programmes in various fields.