A powerful series of photographs adorned the walls of the Unicentre from October 5 to 18. Anyone seeing the portrayals of Afghan women communicators could not fail to be moved by the stories told in these evocative images.
Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News looked into the lives of Afghan women journalists, producers, managers, writers, photographers, filmmakers, human rights activists and parliamentarians.
The University of Ottawa, in collaboration with Carleton University and the Embassy of Afghanistan, played host to this important exhibition highlighting the story of female communicators in Afghanistan, and who, through their work, are helping to ensure all Afghan women are given a voice. Their stories are all the more remarkable considering the struggles they have overcome, including the former ban on education and employment of women under the Taliban regime.
While the harsh history of the women of Afghanistan cannot be denied, the sense of hope in the face of struggle is evident. Organizers Jane McElhone and Khorshied Samad emphasized that they wanted to focus on positive stories. Certain photos featured the joyful expressions of women voting in Afghanistan’s first-ever presidential election in October 2004. Forty per cent of the eight million voters were women.
The exhibit, which features Canadian photographers Marija Dumancic, Elise Jacob, Leslie Knott and Lana Slezic, was officially opened by Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, and University President Gilles Patry. The Honorable Josée Verner, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages, also welcomed the many students, faculty and members of the diplomatic community who attended the opening on October 5th.
The exhibit has moved from uOttawa to the Main Floor of the Maxwell MacOdrum Library at Carleton University from October 23 until November 6, 2006.
