Monday, June 25, 2012

Censorship and Racial Discrimination Continues in Afghanistan


Order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan that prohibits the arts works and participation of Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara in any future art exhibitions in Kabul.

Only a week after the scandalous plot against the Hazaras through the book called “The Atlas of non- Pashtoon ethnics in Afghanistan”, the Hazaras are again victims of racism and discrimination in Afghanistan.
This time, a group of the Hazara Contemporary Artists was banned, faced with physical violence by the police and the officials of ministry of information and culture. Then their art works were confiscated by the order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan, from the exhibition called “a study of view” supported by Documenta 13 at the National Art Gallery of Afghanistan in Kabul.
The order released by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan prohibits the participation of these artists and their works in any other exhibitions in Afghanistan.
In midday June 21st 2012 during the preparation for the exhibition, the Minister of Information and Culture and some other officials of his office came to the exhibition venue where they used violence against the artists and applied restrictions against works of three artists; Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara. They banned four art works in total and confiscated them all.        
The four confiscated art works belong to Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara; the three artists belonging to the ethnic minority Hazara.
Mohsen Taasha whose works were banned in Kabul on June 21 2012, is an Afghan (Hazara) artist, winner of Afghan Contemporary Prize 2010 and a participant of Documenta 13 2012 in Kassel Germany.
In addition to Documenta, previously Mohsen Taasha’s works are being exhibited in private galleries in Prague and Paris. 
The Exhibition, “a study of view” is organized by the support of the Documenta and the Goethe Institute in Kabul.
The official reaction by the Documenta and Goethe Institute in this regard will soon be published on their websites.

Many of the Afghan Contemporary Artists have so far condemned minister’s censorship and his illegal approach to ban and confiscate art works.



"A Man Reading Holy Quran", Mohsen Taasha's work, considered to be non-Islamic, was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.


"A Combination of Letters and Words" a work by Azizullah Hazara that is also considered to be non Islamic and was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of  Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.


Source for this article: 

Hazara People International Network
Kabul Press.org

For Further Information:

Hazara People International Network's reaction

Reazione del sito Popolo Hazara contro la censura e il razzismo

Afghan Artists Participation in Documenta 13, a report on BBC Persian

Reaction on Kabul Press against censorship and discrimination

Reaction by National Front of Afghanistan European Branch

Reaction by National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan

When they enchain art and freedom of expression (an article)

Mohsen Taasha's page on Facebook:

Mohsen Taasha on Documenta 13 webpage

Mohsen Taasha's works on Nafas Online Art Magazine