Statement of Solidarity with the Ukrainian People
Statement on World Refugee Day
Statement on the 20 year Anniversary of “Operation Enduring Freedom”
Statement of Support with Iranian Women
Chai Chats
Chai Chats, 2010-Present
Since 2011, AAAWA has hosted Chai Chats, a members-only digital platform where we discuss timely social and political concerns. The Chai Chats were borne out of a desire among our members to discuss issues around race, gender, citizenship, migration, and representation that were not being addressed in mainstream news or popular culture. Through these discussions, members are able to think together across disciplines, fields of practice, and expertise in ways that are not pre-determined by policy and media frameworks.
Past discussions addressed the following topics:
“The Politics of Translation of Afghan Folk Writing and Poetry”
“Political Activism through Art in Afghanistan: Shamsia Hassani”
“Traditions of Grieving in the Afghan Diaspora”
“Visual Representations of Afghan Women”
“Producing Knowledge about Afghanistan In and Out of the Academy”
“The Erasure of Afghan Refugee Stories in the Wake of 2015’s Global Refugee Crisis”
Emergent Archives of Afghan Diasporic Memory
In Emergent Archives of Afghan Diasporic Memory, a panel discussion hosted at UC Berkeley’s Department of Art on October 20, 2022, artist Zelikha Shoja and writer Hawa Arsala discussed the power of storytelling in transforming and reimagining community identity. Moderated by AAAWA member Helena Zeweri, the panel examined how visual art and writing serve as unique mediums to engage with themes of ancestral identity, diasporic memory, and oral traditions of storytelling. In doing so, the discussion explored how written and visual stories can create counter-archives to dominant representations of Afghan life. In situating these narratives as emergent, this discussion also reference recent events in Afghanistan and their resonance for visual artists and writers in the diaspora, including the new forms of political consciousness they inspire.
Assembly of Moths
On Thursday, August 25, 2002, AAAWA hosted “An Assembly of Moths: Afghanistan, One Year Later” — an online gathering through art. The program provided an opportunity to reflect on the somber anniversary while also affirming our humanity, preservation, and imagination through poetry, song, dance, film, and a participatory sonic healing ritual.
Featured artists included:
- Ali Baluch, Filmmaker
- Liala Zaray, Poet
- Mozhdeh Ahmadi, Writer
- Noor Agha Ahmadi, Filmmaker
- Parul Shah, Kathak dancer
- Qais Essar, Rabab Player
- Seelai Karzai, Poet
- Trina Basu & Arun Ramamurthy, Violinists
- Zeeshan Khan Talaash, Filmmaker
- Zelikha Shoja, Interdisciplinary artist
“Afghanistan and Korea’s histories are so different and yet there is the similarity of incredible pain and loss and diaspora after the involvement of the US/Western powers. I learned so much but also felt so much resonance with my own sense of personal/ethnic/national history.“
Hyejung Kook
Afghan American Artists and Writers Association (AAAWA) awarded $10k grant by the New York State Council on the Arts!
Afghan American Artists and Writers Association (AAAWA) announced today a grant award totaling $10,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Following New York State’s historic investment for the arts, NYSCA has awarded $90 million since Spring 2022 to a record number of artists and organizations across the state.
AAAWA President Helena Zeweri said, “We are so excited to receive the support of NYSCA to expand our creative programs. This grant will be critical in supporting AAAWA’s operational costs and developing public programming at the crossroads of the arts and advocacy in New York.”
Governor Kathy Hochul said, “As a cultural capital of the world, New York State is strengthened by our expansive coverage of the arts across all 62 counties. This year’s historic commitment to the arts sector will spur our continuing recovery from the pandemic and set the course for a stronger future.”
NYSCA Executive Director Mara Manus said, “We are immensely grateful to Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their unprecedented investment of $240 million to support arts organizations across the state. New York State arts organizations such as the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association are the cornerstone of our vibrant arts economy. As crucial drivers of our health and vitality, we are grateful to the unwavering dedication of arts workers across the state.”
NYSCA Chair Katherine Nicholls said, “On behalf of the entire Council, I congratulate the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association on this grant award. Their creative work provides the benefits of the arts to both their community and all of New York. Arts organizations are essential, leading our tourism economy and fueling sectors such as hospitality, transit, and Main Streets across our state. “
About the New York State Council on the Arts
NYSCA preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, NYSCA will award record funding in FY 2023, providing support across the full breadth of the arts.
NYSCA further advances New York’s creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit http://www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA’s Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
Panel Discussion : Afghan Experiences of Humanitarian Parole: One Year Later
On Monday, August 29, 2022 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET, Afghan American Artists and Writers Association (AAAWA), Afghans For A Better Tomorrow, and Project ANAR hosted a panel event centering Afghan Experiences of Humanitarian Parole One Year Later.
One year after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Afghan nationals throughout the world find themselves displaced and with little to no certainty about their futures. This discussion will feature the perspectives of lawyers, advocates, and first-hand accounts of applicants. Panelists will discuss how humanitarian parole, a mechanism to enter the US, has failed Afghan applicants; the history of HP in the context of US immigration policy; and steps we can take to advocate for fairer and more just immigration policies.
Watch the recording of the panel event below:
