Afghan Voices

Five Afghan voices share their raw, unscripted emotions after the Taliban takeover of their homeland. These are the messages they want the world to hear - of the pain and the suffering that will endure long after the world has turned its back on Afghanistan. Please listen to their testimonies and honour their voices.

Soraya

Two months after Soraya moved to Dublin for her PhD, the Taliban took over her country. She can barely believe how quickly the position of women has been diminished - how quickly her sisters have been silenced. Progress that took years to achieve - allowing them to work, study and have agency, have been stripped away in days. She says she doesn’t want help; she wants solidarity. She wants to be heard and to be listened to, so that the Taliban’s attempt to erase Afghan women’s voices don’t work. She says no one deserves to have worked for freedom like Afghans have, and see it destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Haleema

Haleema still lives in Afghanistan. For years, she's wondered why other countries progress while hers is always left behind. Years of what looked like progress have now been taken away - and to her, it feels like the destruction of Afghanistan is the destruction of her own self. Haleema and her family tried to leave when the Taliban took over - but they were some of the thousands left behind. Although she cannot share her identity - for fear that she or her family will be targeted, she asks of the outside world, please don't forget our voices.

Sahar

Sahar might be far from Afghanistan, safe and far from the violence, but Afghanistan is constantly in her thoughts and prayers. Living apart, it hurts her to think that she will not be able to return, and rebuild the country she loves. She’s worked with feminist and activist network in Kabul who’ve put their lives on the line to change things in Afghanistan - now all those who worked in those networks are scattering around the globe, escaping persecution in Afghanistan, but running towards uncertain futures. Her message, Afghan women don’t need saving - they need solidarity. She wants those listening to hold their governments - especially those involved in 21 years of war in Afghanistan - accountable.

Shabana

Shabana left her country three days before the Taliban's occupation. But just because she's no longer in Afghanistan, it doesn't mean she is safe - or happy. She has to hide her identity for fear of reprisal. She's spent the past month full of anger and hopelessness. For her, the takeover of the Taliban represents the destruction of democracy, humanity and women's rights in Afghanistan. She - like many Afghans - carries the trauma of the destruction of her nation. She wants the world to remember that the Taliban isn't just harmful to Afghanistan, but the whole world. Behind this terrorist group, she sees the actors of the world playing political games. Innocent Afghan civilians are the ones paying the price.

Pariwash

Post the occupation of Taliban, Pariwash had to leave Afghanistan because her family feared for her safety. She addresses the lack of necessities for the people of her country even after the Afghans having fought their way to freedom for 20 years. She is appalled by the indifference from the rest of the world. The forces against her and her fellow Afghans are powerful, but she doesn't want to succumb to the feeling of losing the battle just yet. She wants to stay vigilant and fight against the happenings in the country and wants the international community to stand up for the Afghan people, especially the women and children who are struggling to find hope.