Happy New Year 1388 to all Afghans around the world!

Nowroz means a new day
Swallows are seen again in the sky these days flying happily while the earth changes its color, snows are melting, water is increasing and blooms blossom in the trees, you feel hot if you wear warm clothes and many more changes are seen everywhere even the mood of humans are changed as well; they are all the characteristics of the nature that always repeat in the same time of the year as the signs of the some changes, something new that is when someone is knocking all the doors and when you open your door to see who it is, there is a surprise; Wow! Spring is coming! And you say “Welcome!” to it happily.
Oh, forgot to say, and if you are in Mazar e Sharif in north Afghanistan, you find tulips every where in the deserts, that is another characteristic too.

You reap what you sowed!
You welcome spring while indeed it is the beginning after an end, and now you are given a period of time in fact another period of time to think, to plan and plant knowing that you reap what you sowed. If you plant poppy you will not reap wheat or if you move as slowly as a turtle you will not get to your destination as quickly as a rabbit, so it totally in your hand, it is you to decide what to do and how.

To touch the God’s place, leave a nice trace behind
Time come and pass, people come and go, but still the system of the universe is always the same, on track, controlled, on going and very accurate and precise as usual, as always, it is only us who discover a bit it of time to time as it goes on and boast on ourselves for what we have found out newly and call it the power of our science and technology. When we see the accuracy and grandeur of the universe, how small we are, how nothing we are in comparison with it we find out, but sometimes we can be big, we can be even great and grand when we change “I” into “We” in all what we do and then when we leave a nice trace behind, a good trace that is praised by all men of mind and sense, this way we touch the place of God who is the creator of the whole universe, so why shouldn’t we be big, great and grand then, when it is possible?!

Happy New Year to all Afghans around the world!

Viva Afghanistan!

Read my New Year Message of last year

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Good news!

Long waiting is over!

Venice a city on water and the home town of Marco Polo, is going to be cuddled by the melody of the Afghan music sounds to let every one feel the eastern world as near as inside their homes.

The city of Shakespeare’s plays is going to host Afghan artists to play and sing for them to let them feel the coming of spring and greenery and to make them touch the nature.

The surprise in this occasion is presence of Dawood Sarkhosh; the singer of hope, the singer of love, the singer of life and the singer of liberty who sings from the depth of his heart and enlivens millions of Afghans with his harmonious voice and unique lyrics.

While Sarkhosh sings, he knocks the doors of hearts, enters into the hearts, inspires every one and then let them think, let them dream and let them hope.

When he plays masterly pieces, with his Danboora* as a travel guide he takes every one to a journey of the central highlands of Afghanistan, to the land of the Giant Buddha Statue and let every one enjoy their presence in Hazarajaat with the sound of his music. That is what Dawood Sarkhosh is famous for.

All Afghans from different corners of Italy are getting together on 22 of March in this lively occasion to celebrate their New Year and to say that they want peace, security and justice in their country.

In addition to this concert, the sky of Venice is going to host many Afghan kites flown by the Afghans to share their happiness with the Italian society.

Through this occasion, the Afghans away from home, while hoping to fly these kites in the sky of their homeland one day, would thank the Italian society for hosting them in their difficult time, while the presence of the Italians in this occasion could mean that; as a part of the international community they are with the Afghans. Join us in this happiness if you can!

We provide you more photos of this occasion in the upcoming posts

Visit Dawood Sarkhosh HomePage

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The Community of the Afghan Artists in Italy is born

Da Kabul a Venezia!

Along with spring this year, the community of the Afghan Artists in Italy has announced its presence.

It is the second group of the Afghans who make such an association while the first one is the Cultural and Social Association of the Afghans in Italy that is based in Rome.

This new born community of the Afghan Artists as announced in their plans and activities, will be active in making films, documentaries, video reportage, holding conferences and seminars about Afghanistan and representing the Afghan Arts and Culture primarily in Italy and then in Europe level.

The first initiatives they made is conducting an Afghan Cultural Festival of Flying Kite and the concert of Dawood Sarkhosh in Venice which both take place in the Afghan New Year occasion 21- 22 March 2009.

This concert is supported by municipality of Venice and the Cultural and Social Association of the Afghans in Italy.

The next projects the Arts Community has are two film projects that are now in pre-production stage.

The members of the Artists Community are the, writers, filmmakers, producers, journalists and television programmers who fled Afghanistan for the serious risks they faced because of their cultural - artistic activities and exercise of freedom of speech in their war torn homeland.

We wish them success in their future activities of working for prosperity of Afghanistan.

We provide you with more updates on the activity of Afghan Artists Community in Italy in the upcoming posts. Hope to hear more about it soon

Click here to see the Blog of the Afghan Artists Community


Follow Voice of Criticism for the socio- political updates in Afghanistan

Visit Deedenow Cinema for the updates on Afghan Arts and Cinema

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Baba Mazari in Paradise

Mazari through the arts of Bashir Bakhtiari, the Afghan caricaturist, graphic designer and filmmaker

When will another Mazari be born?

Written by Amin Wahidi

Who is Mazari?
His name is always written along with words like spring, greenery, tulip and rebirth as he left everyone to bring spring and greenery after him. He left us all alone just a few days before the spring, indeed he went to call the spring for us, and by the time he was in his destination the tulips were already smiling in the deserts of the homeland to celebrate his victory. He flew up but very soon, perhaps his mission was only to be a Moses for the Hazaras to rescue them from Pharaohs of the time towards liberty and freedom.


Mazari’s immortality
They killed him but he got more immortal. They took his life but he got everlasting.
They wanted to abolish him but he got evergreen. They suffocated his voice but his thoughts, and his soul was spread out everywhere.
Indeed they killed him not knowing they have planted his seeds for the rebirth of many other Mazaris as if God made this happening to change the history of a deprived and agonized nation.

When it happened
Exactly 14 years from now, 12 March 1995 many people in Afghanistan became orphans as their father was killed by the Taliban.
The Taliban killed Mazari and six of his adjutants and commanders in a brutal way while inviting them swearing on Holy Quran for peace negotiations.
Mazari was the first ever victim of fierceness of the fundamentalism and extremism in Afghanistan. He went and enlightened the world that the Taliban are the most dangerous threat for the whole world, for humanity, for the freedom and liberty and for all those who care about humanity, freedom and liberty. Mazari’s martyrdom left a message, a very clear message that was then a green light for the whole world; “the fundamentalism and extremism has no limits thus it has no border, when it is against humanity, then it is the responsibility of all humans in the world to stand against this critical enemy that threaten the whole world, until to eradicate it”, as now we see the result.

Mazari in west of Kabul
The three years of resistance of west of Kabul against the attacks of Sayaf, Rabani and Gulbudin is an unforgettable page in the history of Afghanistan in general, and for the Hazaras as the protagonists of the resistance in particular.
The Hazaras as a minor ethnic being always abased and underestimated by the “Big Brothers”, always being isolated from the main society body and sneered by the others for their appearances, their ethnic background, their ideas, their thoughts and they way they behaved in their daily lives in multi ethnic Afghanistan. But to know who Mazari was, what his role in the society of his time was and what are his influences on the contemporary Hazara generation and what image of him is remaining in the minds and hearts of the Hazaras of the world, it would be useful to review the general situation of the country and the condition of the Hazaras in a few paragraphs.

The pressures and oppressions against the Hazaras were indeed the continuity of the process of mass massacre of the Hazaras in 1880s – 1890s by Amir Abdul Rahman Khan and have been followed until 1980s by all governments and rulers as a part of governmental plans and strategies in a systematic process in the tribal Afghanistan which resulted the Hazaras suffer generation to generation from access to governmental offices, defend their civil rights, take part in social development process of the country and find a real home for themselves in the country, instead they were forced to do the very hard and abasing jobs such as porters, cleaners, servants, street vendors while only a few luckier ones could become shopkeepers, bakers or the highest drivers or were forced to flee the country.

Along the history, oppressions and unjust treatment of the governments such as violations of their civil rights, deprivation of them from higher education, prohibition of their enlistment in the military schools, prohibition of their employment in the government offices always kept them in hard and low profile jobs while they as a noticeable part of the society could have been utilized for the development process of the country if they were fairly treated with.

The Hazaras knowing their abilities, were sure if they were being treated with as equally as all other citizens of the country (other Big and Small Brothers) and would be given chances and opportunities they could play their positive roles in the society as in general they were known for their hardworking, honesty, sincerity and mental ingenuities but this dream could hardly be realized unless a man among them would seriously stand against all unfairness and put a big “NO!” to all wrong, unfair, and oppression-based structures being founded by the past oppressor rulers in the country.

This situation could result in taking them towards non existence if continued as time passed so therefore the Hazaras for long have been waiting just for a leadership to mobilize them to stand for their rights, advocate them and shout their voices to the government and to the world, this way the Hazara society got a pregnancy of a future leadership that had to come on a right time and to rescue them from non existence and abolishment.

While only for sometime in the late of 1980s the prime minister was Hazara and there were one or two other ministers from them in the communist cabinet but still was not enough for a big society. In this time the Hazaras were morally fortified and regained their historical self- confidence while on the other hand most part of the society were religious they would rather expect a non communist leader to stand for them, so there was a space for a religious leader to play a key leadership role among them. There is where Mazari is born to stand and shout for the equality, justice and fairness that resulted the rights of the Hazaras and he died saying;
“It is no more a crime to be a Hazara in this country.”

Actually Mazari was born with an expectancy period of more than two centuries therefore he was familiar with all pains and grieves of a nation that has been underestimated, ignored, prejudiced and oppressed for two centuries thus he came in this world for a short period on the right time to awaken his nation and flew up back smiling silently after completion of his mission leaving life lightening mottos and lively sensations as valuable heritages for the nation “We are nor the fond of face of a particular ethnic neither the enemies of the others, what only we want is justice and fairly and equally treatment with the all ethnics as the citizens of the country, that is how we all can live peacefully.”

After Mazari’s revolution in west of Kabul, in the practical lives of the nation, it is really no more crime to be a Hazara instead every one is proud to be a Hazara. After Mazari’s revolution there is no need to take a fake National ID card hiding one’s real identity as a Hazara in order to be safe from discriminations in the governmental offices. There is no need to be afraid or ashamed as one calls a person Hazara, because thereafter, this word has changed its meaning hundred percent.
Then it was very shameful to be called a Hazara, without calling a porter or a servant, the word Hazara was enough to mean that, because this word was actually equal to a porter, a coolie, servant in the terminology of the tribal Afghanistan while now after Mazari scarified himself for his nation, being a Hazara means being a proud and useful element of the society, being a Hazara means being a democrat, being a person believing in equality, being a revolutionary person fighting against discriminations, prejudice and human rights violations of any kind.
Mazari on that short period of time, practiced democracy in action while every one else among of the Jihadi leaders made fun of such words. Mazari believed and always emphasized that the best way of ruling the country is to hold a free and fair election in which the people would decide who be the president.

While every one else of the Jihadi leaders were thinking of how to fight, how to eliminate one another and remain on power, Mazari believed that the women as half part of the society should be given equal education and opportunities so that the social development would be accelerated more, while he was always in favor of equality of any kind rights among all the citizens of the country and finally died in this way.

The rivals of his time, the enemies of democracy and justice, who had controlled and media and press that were all the means for blackmailing and negative propagandas against him to destroy his personality, accused him to be a supporter of IRI while Mazari was the only person in the history of Afghanistan who slapped the Iranian ambassador in Kabul when they wanted to interfere in internal issues of Afghanistan, but non of all those cruel plots could destroy his constancy until he his mission was over and his messages were already delivered to his nation, so he left every one more popular than any leader in the history of Afghanistan.

Mazari is being honored and respected annually by the Hazaras in more than twenty countries of the world that is the strongest evidence for his popularity for the record of contemporary history. People mourn, cry and wail for Mazari, and they will tell their children about Mazari generation to generation as long as the world exists.

However, today even the rivals of yesterday come on his annual celebration and honor him when they feel regretful for what they did with Mazari, they cry and mourn for Mazari among the Hazaras to compensate their guilt and wash their sins by praying to God for Mazari’s soul.


Mazari “Baba” for the Hazaras
Today if Abraham Lincoln is being honored for his struggles for fairness and equality in America, if Mahatma Gandhi is given the most prestigious title by the Indians, if Nelson Mandela is the symbol of Anti- Apartheid struggles in the world, and if Martin Luther King is recognized and respected for his struggles for justice and equality, undoubtedly Mazari is also given the most prestigious title for his struggles “Baba”. Having given the title of “Baba” (father) to Mazari, today at least more than five million Hazaras around the world honor Mazari for his struggles against oppressions and systematic ethnic discriminations, and in every Hazara’s house you can find a Mazari’s photo on the wall as the symbol of their liberty and survival.

Mazari still smiles to his sons
Not a coincident, but juncture of the history, once the Buddha Statue was destroyed by them, then Mazari was killed by them as well, and today Mazari’s statue fills the absence of Buddha Statue in the heart of Hazarajaat, Bamyan.
No fear and no regret if the Buddha Statue of Bamyan is not reconstructed as long as today Mazari’s status is already standing there in Bamyan, and smiling towards his sons and his followers.

With Bonn conference agreement a part of Mazari’s dreams were realized
The new amendments in favor of oppressed and minorities took place in the administrative structure of the government through the Bonn Conference agreement in 2001 were parts of Mazari’s proposal for a better, peaceful and a prosperous Afghanistan.
The grand jirga, the free and fair elections and participation of women in the social- political process of the country were all Mazari’s proposals fifteen years ago while the other Jihadi leaders were igniting the fires of civil war.
As a matter of fact, therefore now the sons of Mazari have to boast for realization of parts of dreams of their martyred leader “Baba Mazari” in Bonn Conference Agreement.

Who is the real father?
Mazari in his speeches, mottos and all his actions never talked of betterment of a specific ethnic on the others but always talked of equality and fairness among all as the citizens of the country, but the Hazaras as the main survivors of oppressions by Mazari’s revolution, respect him as their father.
But now as a formality in the land of contrasts, “Zahir Shah” (the former king who died in 2007 after 29 years in exile) was imposingly being entitled “the father of the Nation” in the constitution, while in reality except his family members hardly one could be found to honor him as a father, while for Mazari without formality, this title is given by the hearts of more than five millions Hazaras of the world and every year in his martyrdom date every one comes, mourns and prays for his soul from the core of his heart, that is how the history is made!

Mazari's statue built by people in Bamyan

Annually millions of people honor Mazari in different parts of the world in his martyrdom anniversary

Baba Mazari's monument built in west of Kabul

Mazari's thomb in Mazar e Sharif a respected shrine for the Hazaras of the world