By Mehreen Rashidi
Every Monday evening they would gather, in summer when the scorching Balkh sun was less intense and in winter when the northern Afghanistan weather was more mild. Writers and readers, young and old, men and women.
The younger writers would stand before those gathered at Khana-e-Dastane Balkh (Balkh Storyhouse), with prominent storytellers like Taqi Wahidi and Shafiq Namdar in the audience. The crowd would fall silent and listen as the writers read their work, then they’d give encouragement and feedback, helping the writers hone their craft.
This tradition continued without a break for a decade. But the meetings abruptly stopped on August 14, 2021, when Mazar-e-Sharif fell to the Taliban.
As months passed, it became clear that ceasing all cultural pastimes out of fear was no way to live. With the Taliban issuing decree after decree restricting the lives of women and girls, the meetings soon resumed – online. On November 17, 2022, Khana-e-Dastane Balkh celebrated its 300th story review meeting.
With the power of technology, Khana-e-Dastane is also hosting book reading competitions. One of the organisers Narges Wasiq tells Rukhshana Media that the idea is to promote the culture of reading, to create motivation for reading, and, most importantly, to introduce Afghan writers to their young minds.
Ms Wasiq says the idea came after the Taliban seized power and banned schools for girls above grade six and university education for women.
“We thought of starting such competitions because of the culture of reading was shrinking. It was already shrinking, but because of the [Taliban] situation, it was becoming even less than before,” she says. “We thought maybe we can revive a little of the dying motivation in the hearts of book readers and others.”
The Best Book Reader Festival began at the start of this solar year March 21, 2023 and will run until Nawruz on March 19, 2024.
Each month, a book title is introduced on the social media platform and participants are given 22 days to read the book and write their thoughts about it. The top five are then selected for a prize of 500 afghanis ($7 USD) paid in the form of phone credit. The books do not have to be purchased – PDF copies of them are shared through the Telegram group.
Ms Wasiq says the number of girls who take part is an impressive sixty-five percent of the contributions, and most of them end up as the top scorers. “The participation of girls in these competitions is very vibrant and this makes us happy.”
“In the fifth round with the book The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, all five of our winners were girls,” she says.
“This is good news for us that despite all the obstacles, girls have not given up on the world of books and literature.”
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, girls and women are completely marginalized from most aspects of public life and do not feel safe to gather together for cultural and literary programs. So meeting virtually and online contests is the only way for them to participate and mentally escape the four walls of their homes.
Habib Hamdard, a writer and one of the competition judges, says many of the contributions are from girls who used to attend Khana-e-Dastane in person. “The number of female subscribers is good, and it’s mostly girls who are either writers or storytellers themselves or who are interested in reading and learning the art of writing,” he says.
Mr Hamdard says their submissions are beautifully written in a way that shows they have studied the book seriously. “The book reviews of the participants, especially some of the girls, are mature and full of content,” he says. “In six rounds of competitions, the most winners are girls.”
Morsal Mandegar Niazi, a participant who has won first place twice, says the competition has become key in motivating her to read and write.
“Launching such programs and competitions in the current situation is a very important and valuable initiative that is really effective for young people and encouraging them,” she says.
With schools closed to girls above the sixth grade, women barred from attending universities, many workplaces, educational centres and cultural gatherings, as well as travelling without a male chaperone, these little lights of community, culture and connection are lifelines. The oppressive circumstances have seen an increase in severe mental illness and suicides among girls and women.
Khalida Hassanyar, another competition participant, says that reading the novels and stories motivates her, and she has seen her writing improve. “Now I write much more clearly than before, and I know how and what to write, where do I start and where do I end. Novels and stories motivate me,” she tells Rukhshana Media. “Sometimes after reading each story, I pick up a pen and write what I have in mind. This is the most important and valuable point for me.”
She describes the competition as a light in her life.
“These programs are a candle in the darkness of the current situation. At this point in time, these programs are so praiseworthy. They are the only thing making people familiar with new books and helping them read and write with more motivation than other times.”
Nasira Rozi, another participant, says the competitions is like breathing fresh air in an otherwise suffocating situation. “Launching such competitions in this current situation, especially for women, is like opening a porthole to hope.”
“I could not easily get used to the situation of this country. But by participating in these competitions, I realized that I could show my talent. This is a door for me to build myself,” she says.
Mr Hamdard says that they are trying to introduce more books from Afghan authors for the readers to better understand the pain, sufferings, and joys of the characters reflected in them, which are mostly the stories of the ancestors of Afghanistan.
“In the first round with the novel Golnar-o-Ayina, we introduced the work of Rahnaward Zaryab so that the readers, especially the girls would dance and be happy anywhere and, in any situation – even in the middle of the night in the cemetery,” he says.
“Or we introduced Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner so that the readers know that under the umbrella of happiness and joy hidden in the kite running in Kabul at that time, what sadness and pain Hassan endured and did not open his mouth.”
Ms Rozi says she never used to read, but now she notices the power of the story’s impact on her. “Studying has created a new life for me. I enjoy living in it. The energy I used to have to neglect reading, I now embrace. I face more shortcomings. My mind is busy with questions. This engagement makes my mind happy.”
It’s also had an impact on her writing.
“When I used to read the book, I had trouble conveying the message of the book well. But by participating in these competitions, I learned which key points to note and pass on to others. In reading, it is not only important to have a good and sweet book, but it is also important to convey the message well,” Ms Rozi says.
Virtual book readings and competitions are currently the only channels through which girls and women can participate in order to bypass the education and travel restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
