Sometimes when we get permission, we hang out together. Not outside, of course, but at home. We turn on music and dance. We dress up and give each other makeovers. We even make videos for tiktok (don’t worry, the account settings are private!). We cook and eat lots of yummy food – my mom makes us kulcha with zafrani tea. It is a lot of fun but doesn’t happen often. Sometimes we video call friends, who didn’t get permission to come. That is, if they have a phone at home that they can use. We usually have too many chores to make time for things like this. The men don’t encourage such activities so we have to wait for our mothers to convince them.
Height: 23"
Width: 2"
Length: 22"
This artwork is based on one of a series of stories addressing agency, identity and representation from the perspective of Afghan refugee women and girls. It was developed as part of a pilot economic empowerment project delivered in partnership with the UNHCR in Karachi, Pakistan. The artworks unmask the lived experiences of a generation continuing to deal with the legacy of conflict and deprivation, where the capacity of traditional handworks to connect people with place, time, history and a sense of being is confirmed.
