Donna Nassery, Afghan Girl Playing the Sitar 2021, oil painting, Paris
Donna Nassery found H through Facebook. She was inspired to create this painting of her.
"Moved by the performance and her smile, I decided to capture a moment from one of their performances in Davos (2017). As a musician myself, I resonated with her joy playing the sitar with others. I especially loved painting her colourful, traditional dress!
Despite the rich cultural heritage of the country, historically, women’s rights have suffered significantly in the performing of arts; this orchestra is the kind of change I’ve always hoped for."
H was a sitar player in The Zohra Orchestra, named after the Persian goddess of music. It was the first all-female orchestra in Afghanistan, made up of girls and women aged between 13 and 20, most of whom came from a Kabul orphanage. It was formed in 2014 and its place of practice was Afghanistan's National Institute of Music (ANIM), founded by Australian-Afghan Dr Ahmad Sarmast.
The institute promoted human rights and empowered young women through education and music. The Zohra Orchestra toured internationally, including performances at the Sydney Opera House and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Today [3 Sept 2021], armed Taliban guard the shuttered Afghanistan National Institute of Music where the group once practiced, while in some parts of the country the movement has ordered radio stations to stop playing music. (Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/day-the-music-died-afghanistans-all-female-orchestra-falls-silent-2021-09-03)
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