Raising The Voice Of Afghan Women Through Farzana Wahidy’s Photojournalism

Here we are in a meta sort of way, profiling a woman who also profiles women. However, through words we might be able to uncover deeply what’s behind Afghan photographer Farzana Wahidy’s photo-stories of women. At the age of 13, Farzana felt the cruel hands of the now practically extinct Taliban regime, when she was beaten for not wearing a Burqa. From that traumatic encounter she would still take the risk of pursuing her education in secret underground classes, at 11 years old she taught mathematics to 60 girls. Though she faced many challenges, her courage was innate and she successfully managed to further her education after enrolling at the AINA Photojournalism Institute, - Afghanistan’s first photo Agency. She is also one of the first Afghan women to work with the Associated French Press and Associated Press alike.

““Women were not allowed to pursue their education, all girls schools were closed down, women were not allowed to work, and they were ordered to remain in their houses””

Farzana’s photojournalism focuses on the lives of Afghan Women. She explores the truth in these women's lives and the struggles they are subject to through her many photographs including one of her works aptly titled “Afghan Women” which depict a brutalist reality including, burn centres, child marriages and violence. Still, Afghanistan is a beautiful country and Farzana’s photos still manage to capture the peaceful hue reminiscent of the 1960’s, where women were more liberated.

““I try to show the bigger image, not just show we have problems... And we do have a lot of problems, but I do want to show normal daily life.””

Currently Farzana’s work can be seen on a larger scale as she was featured as part of a photographic campaign sponsored by ActionAid, titled “Women by Women”. The subjects range from career-minded women to public figures like Maryam, who is an MP in Kabul, Afghanistan. The defining characteristic of Farzana’s photos is that often the women she captures, though relatively unknown, are highly skilled; carpet weavers or traders dressed colourfully, sometimes discovered in obscurity from the northern, more ethnic regions of Afghanistan. In this project the focus is more evident on modern women simply ‘working to live’, perfectly described by the subject Laila who runs drug rehabilitation centres yet faces opposition from the male dominated work industry.

““If you go to a school in Afghanistan and ask girls ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’, they’ll tell you either a doctor or a teacher. And you know why? Because they don’t have role models; they don’t know they can become a lawyer, a judge, a photographer.””

Although most of Farzana’s photos depict women that are often seen and not heard, this may in essence be the silent protest or a secret that viewers can take away, passively. Her images do the hard work for us, the message is there in plain sight. We just have to look to see how far women in Afghanistan have come and how much more work is needed to improve their rights, education and job prospects… To once more see the Afghanistan that could be…

Follow Farzana Wahidy on Instagram @wahidyfarzana

Words by Funmi Olagunju