Story of Raihana and Kabul Trio
For girls, going to school has always been challenging, even before the Taliban government. Sometimes, families did not allow their daughters to attend school due to fear of the security situation. When they allowed their children to go to school for a better life, they faced safety concerns. As a result, many girls stayed at home. In some cases, parents arranged marriages for their daughters at a young age, robbing them of their right to choose whom they marry and where they live. This lack of autonomy extended even to their mothers and sisters; they had no say in these decisions.
Some families allowed their girls to attend religious education at the mosque to learn the Quran. However, even this was fraught with danger, as some individuals with sinister intentions took advantage of them. It is horrifying to think that such things happened to girls as young as three, five, or six years old. I was fortunate that my family supported my musical pursuits and registered me in a music school. I wasn't alone; My younger sister joined me, and we attended school together. Although our relatives and others questioned why Muslim girls would learn music, I ignored their uneducated opinions. My uncle, who was also learning music, consistently encouraged us.
People who didn't know us made negative comments about musicians, claiming that it was not compatible with Islam, but I knew that they were not well-informed. My main goal was to empower my people and become an independent and free human being, which is my right. I spent four years in music school, enduring hurtful comments from people who used derogatory language towards musicians. The words they used were degrading and inhumane, beyond what one might expect to hear about any living being. But, as I mentioned earlier, my primary aim was to be a voice for women and girls, and I remain committed to this cause.
In 2019, Qudrat Wasefi and Najib Angar formed a group called the Kabul Trio, which included three girls playing the piano, violin, and saxophone. We started working together and gained recognition that year. Unfortunately, one of our members, Munira, who played the saxophone, left for Herat, leading to a pause in our activities. When the Taliban took control of Kabul, all-girls' schools, especially ours, a music school, were closed, as the Taliban opposed music and art in general. In the following months, they shut down universities for women and prohibited women from working in government offices. Eventually, they closed all non-governmental and governmental offices to women, and women could not go outside without a male escort.
My sister and I came to Pakistan to continue our education because girls' schools were closed in Afghanistan. Munira also came with us. However, when we arrived in Pakistan, the Taliban seized our musical instruments and destroyed them in front of us, which was an incredibly painful experience. We were helpless, as these individuals acted more like wild animals than rational beings who could comprehend the emotional impact of their actions. After a few months, I managed to buy a keyboard and resumed practicing. Our trio started performing again because we were three once more. We had numerous concerts in Pakistan, but life here was not without its challenges, as we were far from our families and our home country.
Fortunately, we were among the lucky few who could attend school in Pakistan. Many Afghan families could not afford school fees or provide their children with basic supplies like pens, books, and notebooks, preventing them from accessing education.
✍️ ( Raihana Reha)
Comments
Post a Comment