On July 15, 2021, when the flames of war flared up in Afghanistan and Afghan investors transferred their wealth and assets to other countries in the region to avoid looting and burning in the war, Ariana Saeed, the country’s famous singer, held her own in the center of Kabul. Inaugurated the brand ‘Ariana’.
He had invested 8 million Afghanis in this new business and was confident that it would be successful within a few months.
Ariana Saeed had no business experience and it was her first experience to open a production workshop and sales center for women’s wear under the Ariana brand. Like her prominent presence in the media and music arenas, she brought hope and enthusiasm to many, especially women who feared the presence of the Taliban.
On August 15, 2021, a month after the opening of Ariana’s production workshop and sales center, the Taliban entered a town where Ariana Saeed sang and danced among a group of men and women.
In recent years, Ariana Saeed has become an inspirational figure and a symbol of change for many young Afghan girls and brave women who did not want to fall victim to pre-defined norms and anti-feminist traditions. He has always been accused of supporting the girls who used to compete with the boys in the music show ‘Afghan Star’. She has been a judge for several seasons, and her presence has inspired young girls to participate in these programs.
Now that Ariana Brand’s workshop and shop in Kabul have been locked and people are prevented from listening to Ariana’s songs on Afghan television and radio, in a corner of Istanbul, Ariana Saeed reflects on the events in Kabul. what a pity Most importantly, for Afghan women, their dreams and aspirations have been dashed by the Taliban’s return to power.
In an exclusive interview with Independent Persian, Ariana Saeed said that a few months before the fall of the former Afghan government, although she saw the war spreading in her country and felt her danger at every step, she was very optimistic. . For the future, she came up with the idea of creating a brand that could produce clothes tailored to the tastes of Afghan women. Therefore Ariana used the embroidery of Afghan women in the production of clothes of the brand and the clothes that she presented in the market were the manifestations of modern fashion and the culture and tradition of Afghan women.
“About 24 people, mostly women, worked for me,” Ariana said of the closure of the Ariana brand. Despite all the difficulties, I was optimistic about the future, and by investing in garment manufacturing, I wanted to create jobs for many women and strengthen domestic production. But what happened has stopped our work and those who work with us now need a livelihood. They are all breadwinners for their families and they have been struggling.’
Apart from building a brand, Ariana Saeed founded and supported three football clubs for girls and boys. The return to power of the Taliban has turned everything upside down in Afghanistan and as a result the players of the clubs founded by Ariana Saeed have dispersed and are no longer seen on the sports field.
When the Taliban entered parts of Kabul on Sunday afternoon, August 15, Ariana Saeed was in the center of the city and did not expect all the troops to disperse without resistance. One of the Taliban’s most wanted men, she arrived at the country’s only safe haven, the US-held Kabul airport. Ariana Saeed and her fiance Haseeb Saeed were among the first to arrive in Doha from Kabul on a large US military aircraft.
Ariana said of her hasty departure from Kabul: ‘I never thought this disaster would happen so quickly. We had hope for the future and for our country. But the president ran away leaving us alone. I left everything in Kabul. Most importantly my heart and my soul.’
Songs for the Taliban
In early December 2021, Ariana Saeed released a new album of her songs, which was completely different from her other songs and lyrics in previous years. It was a time when the anxiety and fear of leaving Kabul had not subsided. Ariana titled the album ‘Taliban Lipara’ (Pashto: for Taliban). The album contains 10 songs all in Pashto language and their lyrics are collected from classical and folk songs of Pashto literature.
The album’s lyrics deal with romantic dates, the impatience of a young lover, dreams of girls falling in love with young boys in the backyard, and young boys who cannot and cannot conform to traditions and social conventions. I have more.
While releasing the album, Ariana Saeed said, “While the Taliban claim that music is haram, I challenge them with this album, which contains pure and enduring Pashto songs, and ask them to release this album.” listen I believe that the Taliban are not yet aware of the beauty, magic and mesmerizing effects of music and that is why they have always tried to remove music from society.’
Ariana Saeed added, ‘If the Taliban listen to music and allow themselves to understand music, they will stop their dehumanization of music, which is one of the blessings of human life.’
Ariana Saeed believes that the new and younger generation of Taliban are settling into urban life and cities and are exposed to many things, including music. But the first generation of Taliban are sticking to their beliefs of 30 years ago and their behavior will not change.
According to him, young Taliban could not meet his challenge and many of them have listened to the album ‘For Taliban’. Ariana added, ‘I’m sure many young Taliban have this album and are listening to it.’
However, they are still angry about restrictions on music, media and artist activities in Afghanistan. Ariana Saeed expressed concern over the plight of her colleagues and friends and said, ‘Artists, singers and musicians earn a living by producing music. When music is banned and no one has the right to do anything in the field of art and cinema, how can thousands of people, whose only specialty is this, survive?’
The Afghan singer said that all the artists in Afghanistan are living in difficult conditions and complete suffocation. According to him, many artists are in need of breadcrumbs due to the loss of employment opportunities and the fear of retaliation from the Taliban and in such a situation there is no one to support them.
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
“The people are as responsible as the Taliban for creating the current situation.”
Ariana Saeed is an inspiring and popular figure among women, but there are many men in Afghanistan who see her as a symbol of a rebellious woman who does not follow the cultural and religious traditions of the Afghan people, disregarding the beliefs of the people. They do and fight.
Ariana Saeed has many grievances with the Taliban movement: ‘The more the Taliban are involved in suffocating and spreading terror in Afghanistan, the more guilty they are. The people of Afghanistan have become too involved in extremism and have destroyed themselves in the name of religion.’
The popular singer added that ‘a large part of the Afghan society has interpreted this religion in a way that interprets peace, mercy, kindness and tranquility for the people as violence, hatred and suffering.’
Ariana Saeed with her life partner (Ariana Saeed Instagram Account)
According to Ariana Saeed, instead of thinking about important and serious issues, the Afghan people’s entanglement in trivial issues has prevented human values from taking root in this society and prevented civil movements from growing. “When I performed the song ‘Fire Lady’ in the European Parliament in sympathy and support for Afghan women, thousands of men reacted negatively to the dress I wore instead of calling for women’s freedom. They got stuck in my clothes. Thousands of men attacked me on social media asking why I wore such clothes. Although my clothes have not caused any problem to anyone, it is the Taliban’s oppression and lashing that has made life difficult for people and must be answered.’
Ariana Saeed admits that if instead of clothing, Afghan men fight for the freedom and human rights of women who are oppressed by the Taliban, it will definitely have a positive result. He lamented that a large number of Afghan men did not support their wives and daughters and were somehow involved with the Taliban in violating their basic rights.
However, Ariana Saeed is hopeful and excited to produce music, support Afghan women and perform on major global stages. Currently preparing for an artistic tour of Europe, America, Asia and Australia, she insists that she will continue to stand in support of Afghan women and against the Taliban’s oppression at all stages. Will raise the voice.
Note: This interview was previously published on Independent Farsi.
#Singer #Ariana #Saeeds #challenge #Afghan #Taliban #music
