Voices on the rise

Photo exhibit brings Afghan women into focus

By Pascal Zamprelli | Only a decade ago, it would have been unthinkable: A photo exhibit of women in Afghanistan, their faces not only uncovered but proud, frightened, engaged – doing a job that would have been viewed as an act of uncivil disobedience. Since their inclusion as citizens in 2004, women in Afghanistan are reclaiming their voices through the media and working to ensure that all Afghan women are heard. From March 21 to April 3, Media@McGill, the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Embassy of Afghanistan will present Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News. The exhibition, which highlights the link between Afghan women’s participation in media, politics and the reconstruction of their war-torn country, will be open to the public at the Faculty of Law Atrium, Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street. On March 21, at 4 p.m, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, will open the exhibit. Featuring the work of Afghan, Canadian and international photographers, Voices on the Rise offers a glimpse into the lives of Afghan women journalists, writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and politicians and the challenges they face as they search for a balance between their newfound freedom and their traditional responsibilities amid the constraints of living in a war zone.

Rona Sherzai, station manager of Radio Quyaash in Maimana, Faryab province, interviews the provincial Director of Agriculture.
leslie knott

One of the first women in Kandahar to pursue university studies after the fall of the Taliban, Rokia Aziz is taking courses in media and education.
Veronique De Virgerie/Sayara Media and Communication

Ludmillah Khamosh is a news presenter at Tolo TV, Afghanistan’s first privately owned commercial television station.
Elise Jacob

Mehria Azizi, a young camerawoman for the AINA Media and Culture Center in Kabul, films a woman preparing traditional Afghan bread in a bakery in Khair Khana.
Farzna Wahidy/AINA