The Blood of Afghans Cry and Mourn
Some nations have airplanes
Birds and other skyward creatures
But Afghans live with blood flying
Through clouds and countryside
Mama Kabul
Oh mother city
City of love and mercy
How long must you carry this sorrow
Hope
When you come to me
Bring a pair of eyes
So that I can see the world differently
Dream Tree
Anyone passing by can sit
Under the dream tree
In this quiet space
Their wounds will heal
Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
The Afghan Women’s Writing Project is pleased to participate in the global Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign from Nov. 25 through Dec. 10—International Human Rights Day.
International Women’s Day 2017
The work presented here represents just a few of the essays and poems written by AWWP writers in honor of International Women’s Day over the last several years. Please join our writers in celebrating IWD on Wednesday, March 8, 2017.
Two Sisters, One Floor Apart, Play Dead and Survive AUAF Attack
Two AWWP writers survived a terrorist attack last month by armed gunmen at American University of Afghanistan. The August 24 attack killed thirteen people, including students, teachers, and security guards. The two girls tell their stories for AWWP here. AUAF remains closed since the attack.
I Prepare to Die as the Taliban Attacks AUAF
Wednesday 24th of August, 2016. The fourth day of my second semester. My last class finished at 6:20 p.m. I expected to meet a friend, but she did not come so I finished my dinner and went to the mosque to pray. At 7:04 p.m., I had just finished praying when three explosions went off two meters (6.5 feet) from the mosque. The air turned dark, the ceiling fell upon us. It was hard to breathe. Seconds later, gunshots began. I could not believe what seemed clear: the American University of Afghanistan was under attack.
One Floor from My Sister, Waiting to Die
The 24th of August was the third day of my second semester at AUAF. I had started with so many hopes. I was in statistics class on the second floor of the Bayat Building, listening carefully to the lecture, when we heard gunfire close to campus. Growing up in Afghanistan, we think of gunfire as routine. Our professor continued his lecture. Seconds later, an ear-blasting bomb shook the building and shattered the window glass. The campus was under attack.