When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996, Farima Nawabi was a high school student. Suddenly, she was asked to stay home for five years. Her house turned into a prison for her sisters and herself. The prison of our dreams, goals and hopes for a free and independent life. Our only crime was being women in Afghanistan.”
Under the Taliban rule, Farima was not allowed to school. Her life felt like a living hell.
I was mentally exhausted and hopeless for five years in a row. The shock of losing my education was brutal. I could no longer see the future I had imagined for myself. Even many years later I felt the effects of the Taliban school ban on my life.”
A month ago, on 23 March, Taliban’s again put a ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. Listen to this podcast with Farima Nawabi, a former diplomat who worked at the Afghan Embassy in Stockholm until the Taliban takeover. She is currently holding an Afghan Fellowship from Sida as is based at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund during 2022.
Her research focus is women’s rights in Afghanistan. Stay tuned for more podcasts with Farima!