DANEHA – Story of Art and Culture of Afghans in Australia

FROM A TINY SEED GREAT THINGS GROW

Share the Experience of Afghan Migrants through New Artistic Program

In what will be the first major artistic engagement with the Afghan and Persian communities of Blacktown, Blacktown Arts presents Daneha, a multi-faceted artistic program made up of a visual arts exhibition, artist talks, musical performances and theatre.

Daneha (“Seeds” in English) explores the displacement of the Afghan community across the globe, and the cultivation of roots in foreign, unfamiliar soil. The program will transform The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre into a multi-functional space for community to engage with contemporary artists as collaborators, audiences and active participants in reimagining identities.

“Afghan Women on the Move creates a radically safe platform for women as survivors of war and trauma, to gather and participate in arts and cultural programs, outside of religious and political influences,” said Maryam Zahid, the group’s coordinator.

GOOD WOMAN PLAY
Supported by AWOTM

Good Woman, an artistic performance by Mary Popal Zahid and Odile Liclozio, directed by Robert Coleman, is based on Maryam's social activities and makes the problems and world of Afghan women in Australia under the atom. As is evident from the performance’s title, it is a professional criticism performance in the form of art. Who is a “"good woman”"? Based on what criteria are a woman's goodness and badness?

In this performance, Maryam, the founder of Afghan Women on the Move, takes away many of the problems and hardships of an Afghan immigrant woman and puts it in the bush He leaves criticism. This performance expresses the problems that Maryam experienced during the launching of the Afghan Women's Association, and depicts the depth of the problems of Afghan women in Australia. Women who don't want anything from themselves and all their life's grief is to keep their family up. Maybe a good woman is from the perspective of Afghan men.

I believe Maryam is the good woman that the Afghan community living in Australia needs. She doesn't just speak for herself as a woman, she's a great voice for women who have almost forgotten that they are human beings first and foremost.

ARTIST TALKS

The program includes two Artist Talks. The first, moderated by Abdul Hekmat, will be an opportunity for audiences to connect with Khadim Ali, Elyas Alavi and Maryam Zahid (Afghan Women on the Move), and to find out more about their work, life experiences and the program.

The second is a discussion facilitated by Paula Abood on working creatively with refugee women and will include Maryam Zahid, Monirah Hashemi (international playwright/actor) and international theatre director, Leif Persson, from Teatre Dos.

The Daneha program will culminate with the Australian premiere of Sitaraha – The Stars, a moving one woman play which intertwines the stories of three generations of women living in Afghanistan. Navigating war and religious oppression, the women use song, dance and storytelling to try and keep their stories alive. Sitaraha features Monirah Hashemi and is based on real conversations and research.

Daneha offers a unique opportunity for the people of Blacktown and beyond to come together to reflect on the experiences of migrants and refugees, and join with them in all the challenges and opportunities that present themselves as they regather in new lands.

The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Admission to the visual arts exhibition is free.