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| Afghanistan |
| UN Provides Music School for Afghani Women |
| 2006-10-06 |
| From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, an article by Ron Synovitz At the Nagashand Fine Arts Gallery in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif, women laugh and joke with their faces exposed as they play musical instruments and sing in the country's first all-women's music school. The project, funded by a $9,000 grant from the European Commission, is implemented by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan. Masoma Mazari is a 25-year-old Afghan woman who heads the six-month-old project. She says the school's 18 students relish their newfound freedom. "Music is needed by our souls," she said. "We can relax through music. We can express our views. We can bring peace. Finally, I can say that everybody has a certain need for music." All of the students lived for years in Iran as refugees. Like millions of other Afghan refugees, they have experiences that could help break down barriers for women and lead to cultural changes in the conservative religious society. By contrast, women who stayed in Afghanistan over the last 20 years are reluctant to join such classes. Indeed, the only student in the program who stayed in Afghanistan through its years of civil war and Taliban rule decided to quit the classes after just a few weeks. She made the decision after winning third place in a televised music competition in Kabul. She says she was harassed because of her performance when she returned to Mazar-e Sharif. Conservative Islamic clerics in the city tell their followers that it is a crime against Islam for women to sing or perform music. ... Islamic cleric Mullah Abbas ... says he is unhappy about the new music school in his city. "According to Islamic Shari'a law, women's voices should not be heard by men," he said. "Therefore, I can say that a woman cannot be a musician. They should not try to learn it." In Kabul, UN spokesman Aleem Siddique says the United Nations is not trying to fuel religious debates about music and women. "The musical traditions of Afghanistan have been here for as long as Islam has been in Afghanistan," he said. "[But] the United Nations would never preach to people what is Islamic and what is not Islamic. It is not for us to dictate to anybody. That's a choice that people have to make for themselves. .... Culture within a society has a vital role in giving people a voice and confidence to express themselves .... The United Nations is playing a leading role in helping to strengthen civil society within Afghanistan. Our project in Mazar is a music school helping young women to learn how to play instruments that have been played for generations in Afghanistan, and also to revive the tradition of singing amongst minority communities in Mazar. We are giving women in northern Afghanistan their voice in society again." Both teachers at the music school are men. Khalil Bakhtari and Nadair Kharimi teach about 10 instruments, ranging from Western instruments like the saxophone and electric keyboard to instruments that are used for Afghan classical music like the tabla, harmonium, and rabab -- a traditional Afghan lute. The students study Persian, Arabic, and Hindustani traditions as well as classical Afghan music. |
| Posted by:Thrineque Glorong3348 |
| #1 Both teachers at the music school are men. Which explains why some of the locals are leery about letting their girls go there. Could the UN find no female musicians willing to teach? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-06 17:54 |