Interview
with Ibrahim Hotak
After the fall of the Taliban, there was a spirit of optimism in Afghanistan since 2001. This led Ibrahim Hotak to return to Afghanistan to support the country's reconstruction. He first worked as a programme staff member at the newly opened Goethe-Institut in Kabul and was the director of the institute from 2015-2019. Ibrahim Hotak provides exciting insights into cultural work during these years of awakening.
Mr Hotak, how did you come to the Goethe-Institut Afghanistan?
It was a fateful coincidence. After the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, I wanted to return to my homeland to also help rebuild the country. But when I returned at the beginning of 2003, I had to realise that it was still too early to find orientation somewhere and to start something new. So I returned to Germany for the time being.
In 2004, I happened to meet an old friend who asked me almost reproachfully what I was still doing here, when the country had been liberated and qualified people were urgently needed. I didn't want to be told twice. At the end of 2004, I went to Kabul again and had my first interview at the Goethe-Institut Kabul. The director of the institute at the time (Dr. Norbert Spitz) offered me a job as programme coordinator, but not until spring 2005. So I went back to Germany, packed my bags and landed in Kabul in spring 2005 and immediately started working at the Goethe-Institut Kabul. I was happy to be able to have a piece of Germany in Afghanistan and, above all, to continue using the beautiful and difficult German language.
What did the cultural landscape in Afghanistan look like at the time? What development opportunities were there for artists and cultural workers in and from Afghanistan at that time?
There was no cultivated landscape, it was a desert of horror. The country was completely destroyed. The capital Kabul in particular was literally in ruins - 20 years of war had left deep scars.
Everything had to be started from scratch, almost from scratch. The chances to start something new were good and the possibilities to create something were also given. The international community was on the scene, albeit primarily with a political and military focus. International cultural institutions, including the Goethe-Institut, were only gradually establishing their presences in Kabul.
What cultural activities were in the foreground at the time? What were the thematic priorities of the Goethe-Institut Afghanistan? Have these priorities changed over time?
Twenty years of war, expulsion and exile have banished numerous artists and cultural workers from social life. Many went abroad, others had lost courage and hope and were busy coping with daily life. Art and culture were not necessarily at the top of the agenda. We first had to do an arts and culture mapping, a kind of inventory of what was left, both in terms of personnel and physical material. Many cultural institutions such as the National Theatre "Kabul Nandari", Afghan Film or RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan) first had to be made provisionally functional again. The first structural aid was provided.
Another focus was to identify and network artists and cultural workers, to bring them together physically. Platforms and formats such as artists' meetings, gatherings and festivals were to be created for this purpose. Thus, among other things, a very colourful and active festival culture was created and cultivated.
With the new beginning, all topics and areas of art and culture were relevant in Afghanistan. However, it seemed sensible to us to start with the more traditional or established areas such as literature, music, film and theatre. Of course, the question of our own capacities and possibilities also played a role. Concentrated and focused work was needed. In addition to in-kind contributions, the focus was now also on input in terms of content. Existing knowledge and capacities were deepened through workshops, seminars and training. For example, the curriculum of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University was co-designed, new ideas and impulses were integrated into it.
The focal points did not change, but were further supplemented. Above all, cooperation at eye level has developed in cultural cooperation with local actors. In addition, an independent cultural scene emerged. It became a new component of the cultural landscape and thus also a new partner. This also brought new themes, new perspectives and diversity into play. The cultural landscape of the country gradually blossomed, became more colourful and more successful.
You were the director of the Goethe-Institut in Kabul from 2015 to 2019. Which cultural activity left the biggest impression on you personally?
All, because I was wholeheartedly involved in all the activities. We conceived and carried out almost all the activities together with the partners. Of course, it also happened that some activities bore a personal signature because I developed and curated them. These included, for example, the national literature festival and the animation film school "AfghAnimation", to name just two examples. But what was actually very formative was the enthusiasm, the commitment and the desire of many young people for culture. In particular, the ever-growing interest and participation of girls and women in cultural activities with their own ideas delighted and shaped me.
One thing that made me really proud was the thematisation of children's literature on a national level. With the focus on children's literature at the 4th Literature Festival, the topic had moved into the focus of writers and society. Numerous children's books were also translated from German into the national languages and published. In 2010/11, we expanded our activities to the north and the city of Mazar-e Sharif. There, for example, we had distributed translated children's books as part of a children's theatre performance. When I showed the five to six different copies to a little girl of about eight to ten years old, I asked her the next day if she liked the books, to which she replied in the affirmative. When I asked if she had read any of them, she replied, "Of course, all of them! I was completely speechless and thrilled to see how hungry these little people were for reading and learning, for stories and for education. I think back on that very fondly.
Since the Taliban took power in 2021, cultural activities in Afghanistan have been made difficult or impossible. Pictures of musicians destroying their instruments went around the world. What is still possible in the country today?
The rulers' very strict and narrow ideological understanding of culture leaves hardly any room for free cultural activities. Music is forbidden - that says a lot. Resistance is not or hardly possible, at least not publicly.
In addition, the great emigration of artists and cultural workers abroad has left a big gap in the country. The cultural sector there is at a standstill. One can say that culture is still alive, but at the moment only in the cage of ideology.
What is left today of the cultural work of that time in the period between 2001-2021?
A lot, especially in people's minds and hearts. The 20 years have brought forth a new generation. This means a new social and cultural awareness, openness to the world and participation in social life. People are no longer prepared to accept blank vouchers from the mullahs for paradise. People have learned to disagree, and that is exactly what will be important in the future.
How do you think the situation for artists in Afghanistan and in exile will and can develop?
The chances are good! Throughout Europe, but especially in Germany, there are numerous programmes and activities that try to fill the vacuum of cultural creation for the new artists in exile. These include, for example, the Martin Roth Initiative's scholarship programme for artists. It is an integrative programme to overcome the first hurdles in the cultural sector, to try things out and to orientate oneself.
The Goethe-Institut in Exile project is a lively example of cultural activities by artists who can present themselves and their skills on a free stage. At the same time, it is also a platform to interact and network with society.
And it is precisely this networking that will also be important in the future - how it is shaped, used and expanded. The artists are raising their voices, reviving their culture and giving hope. Hopefully, this will create a resistance movement against the terrible ideology that is currently prevailing in Afghanistan and against the world's burgeoning obliviousness towards Afghanistan.
Afghan artists will need political and social support for a long time to come.
This interview was conducted in writing. The questions were asked by Julia Holz, staff member of the Goethe-Institut in Exile project.
It was a fateful coincidence. After the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, I wanted to return to my homeland to also help rebuild the country. But when I returned at the beginning of 2003, I had to realise that it was still too early to find orientation somewhere and to start something new. So I returned to Germany for the time being.
In 2004, I happened to meet an old friend who asked me almost reproachfully what I was still doing here, when the country had been liberated and qualified people were urgently needed. I didn't want to be told twice. At the end of 2004, I went to Kabul again and had my first interview at the Goethe-Institut Kabul. The director of the institute at the time (Dr. Norbert Spitz) offered me a job as programme coordinator, but not until spring 2005. So I went back to Germany, packed my bags and landed in Kabul in spring 2005 and immediately started working at the Goethe-Institut Kabul. I was happy to be able to have a piece of Germany in Afghanistan and, above all, to continue using the beautiful and difficult German language.
What did the cultural landscape in Afghanistan look like at the time? What development opportunities were there for artists and cultural workers in and from Afghanistan at that time?
There was no cultivated landscape, it was a desert of horror. The country was completely destroyed. The capital Kabul in particular was literally in ruins - 20 years of war had left deep scars.
Everything had to be started from scratch, almost from scratch. The chances to start something new were good and the possibilities to create something were also given. The international community was on the scene, albeit primarily with a political and military focus. International cultural institutions, including the Goethe-Institut, were only gradually establishing their presences in Kabul.
What cultural activities were in the foreground at the time? What were the thematic priorities of the Goethe-Institut Afghanistan? Have these priorities changed over time?
Twenty years of war, expulsion and exile have banished numerous artists and cultural workers from social life. Many went abroad, others had lost courage and hope and were busy coping with daily life. Art and culture were not necessarily at the top of the agenda. We first had to do an arts and culture mapping, a kind of inventory of what was left, both in terms of personnel and physical material. Many cultural institutions such as the National Theatre "Kabul Nandari", Afghan Film or RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan) first had to be made provisionally functional again. The first structural aid was provided.
Another focus was to identify and network artists and cultural workers, to bring them together physically. Platforms and formats such as artists' meetings, gatherings and festivals were to be created for this purpose. Thus, among other things, a very colourful and active festival culture was created and cultivated.
With the new beginning, all topics and areas of art and culture were relevant in Afghanistan. However, it seemed sensible to us to start with the more traditional or established areas such as literature, music, film and theatre. Of course, the question of our own capacities and possibilities also played a role. Concentrated and focused work was needed. In addition to in-kind contributions, the focus was now also on input in terms of content. Existing knowledge and capacities were deepened through workshops, seminars and training. For example, the curriculum of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University was co-designed, new ideas and impulses were integrated into it.
The focal points did not change, but were further supplemented. Above all, cooperation at eye level has developed in cultural cooperation with local actors. In addition, an independent cultural scene emerged. It became a new component of the cultural landscape and thus also a new partner. This also brought new themes, new perspectives and diversity into play. The cultural landscape of the country gradually blossomed, became more colourful and more successful.
You were the director of the Goethe-Institut in Kabul from 2015 to 2019. Which cultural activity left the biggest impression on you personally?
All, because I was wholeheartedly involved in all the activities. We conceived and carried out almost all the activities together with the partners. Of course, it also happened that some activities bore a personal signature because I developed and curated them. These included, for example, the national literature festival and the animation film school "AfghAnimation", to name just two examples. But what was actually very formative was the enthusiasm, the commitment and the desire of many young people for culture. In particular, the ever-growing interest and participation of girls and women in cultural activities with their own ideas delighted and shaped me.
One thing that made me really proud was the thematisation of children's literature on a national level. With the focus on children's literature at the 4th Literature Festival, the topic had moved into the focus of writers and society. Numerous children's books were also translated from German into the national languages and published. In 2010/11, we expanded our activities to the north and the city of Mazar-e Sharif. There, for example, we had distributed translated children's books as part of a children's theatre performance. When I showed the five to six different copies to a little girl of about eight to ten years old, I asked her the next day if she liked the books, to which she replied in the affirmative. When I asked if she had read any of them, she replied, "Of course, all of them! I was completely speechless and thrilled to see how hungry these little people were for reading and learning, for stories and for education. I think back on that very fondly.
Since the Taliban took power in 2021, cultural activities in Afghanistan have been made difficult or impossible. Pictures of musicians destroying their instruments went around the world. What is still possible in the country today?
The rulers' very strict and narrow ideological understanding of culture leaves hardly any room for free cultural activities. Music is forbidden - that says a lot. Resistance is not or hardly possible, at least not publicly.
In addition, the great emigration of artists and cultural workers abroad has left a big gap in the country. The cultural sector there is at a standstill. One can say that culture is still alive, but at the moment only in the cage of ideology.
What is left today of the cultural work of that time in the period between 2001-2021?
A lot, especially in people's minds and hearts. The 20 years have brought forth a new generation. This means a new social and cultural awareness, openness to the world and participation in social life. People are no longer prepared to accept blank vouchers from the mullahs for paradise. People have learned to disagree, and that is exactly what will be important in the future.
How do you think the situation for artists in Afghanistan and in exile will and can develop?
The chances are good! Throughout Europe, but especially in Germany, there are numerous programmes and activities that try to fill the vacuum of cultural creation for the new artists in exile. These include, for example, the Martin Roth Initiative's scholarship programme for artists. It is an integrative programme to overcome the first hurdles in the cultural sector, to try things out and to orientate oneself.
The Goethe-Institut in Exile project is a lively example of cultural activities by artists who can present themselves and their skills on a free stage. At the same time, it is also a platform to interact and network with society.
And it is precisely this networking that will also be important in the future - how it is shaped, used and expanded. The artists are raising their voices, reviving their culture and giving hope. Hopefully, this will create a resistance movement against the terrible ideology that is currently prevailing in Afghanistan and against the world's burgeoning obliviousness towards Afghanistan.
Afghan artists will need political and social support for a long time to come.
This interview was conducted in writing. The questions were asked by Julia Holz, staff member of the Goethe-Institut in Exile project.
