COURAGE FINDS A CALL SIGN
THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE AIR TONIGHT
Photo shows Zargona Hassan (left), an activist and founder of Radio Shaesta, a radio station run by women and for women in the Kunduz province of war-ravaged Afghanistan.
It takes a special kind of courage to give hope to that half of society that has perhaps been the worst victim of decades of war, violence and misrule in Afghanistan. It takes a special kind of courage to take on the system and to bring the so-called intermediaries of moral and religious order to the table in Afghanistan. And it takes a special kind of courage in a woman activist born in a country that has historically and repeatedly been the battleground of civilizations to not only pursue her personal dreams and in the process empower others. It is a long introduction, but then we do not always come across brave hearts like Zargona Hassan, an activist and founder of Radio Shaesta, a radio station run by women and for women in the Kunduz province of war-ravaged Afghanistan.
Last year, the Taleban stormed her hometown and took over Kunduz, and Zarghona, a marked target for reactionaries and insurgents, fled the city. A few months later, she returned after the area had been cleared off terrorists, and reopened her radio station. “The city was completely calm, only a few shops were open,” recalls Zarghona in an exclusive interview with Arab Times. “You could still smell the whiff of fighting. Those who lost their family members were busy with funerals and prayers.” The radio station was looted and ransacked. It was a hard time for the activist who had invested her life savings in the two radio stations that had been reduced to nothing. But not one to give up easily, the brave Afghan woman got in touch with several international organisations, embassies and the journalist union in Kabul. And on March 8, International Women’s Day, she restarted Radio Kaihan with a $9000 UNDP grant.
According to Amnesty International, Afghanistan continues to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for women. Large numbers of Afghan women continue to experience domestic violence in their lifetime, and although girls’ education has undergone improvement, their schools and teachers continue to be attacked. In that context, Zargona’s activism and her determination to empower women with information on their rights, and their physical and emotional wellbeing is laudatory.
Zarghona Hassan was born in a dusty northern town of Afghanistan to a close and supportive family. After completing her initial education, Zarghona enrolled to study civil engineering at Kabul University. “But due to security reasons, I couldn’t finish my studies,” she shares. From 1996 to 2001, the Taleban took over her country. It wasn’t easy for the young Afghan woman working as a journalist with the cultural and information directorate to live under a regime known for its brutal suppression of women. “I was not given any work, but I used to go daily to the office to sign the attendance sheet to get my salary.” The directorate was confined to a room and was entirely male dominated. “We were only two women in the team and were not involved in anything. Apart from hospitals, there was no room for women in administration.” One day, in 1999 when she went to sign the attendance sheet, Zarghona and her female colleague were told that according to a new law by Mullah Mohammed Omer, the supreme commander and spiritual leader of the Taleban, women would no longer be allowed to work. Zarghona and her colleague were given their financial dues and benefits, and although deprived of a living, they were in a way relieved to be out of that stifling environment. But Zarghona refused to be cowed down. She continued to work as a volunteer with an NGO and ran a tuition class for girls from home.
Zarghona Hassan grew up at a time when Afghan women were acclimatised to a culture of violence and second-class citizenship. She recalls an incident from her childhood which left a lasting impression on her, and was to some degree responsible for her interest in women’s rights. “Rabia, my 14- year- old neighbour was married to a 60-year- old man. Just imagine her predicament. She was suffering badly. Six months after her marriage, Rabia’s husband died and according to custom and cultural practices, she was re-married to her husband’s nephew who was only eight years old. He was a kid with his own world and imagination. Almost after nine years, Rabia’s mother-in-law forced her son to marry another girl, who had not been married earlier as she believed her son deserved a virgin bride. Rabia was left alone to a lifetime of suffering with her two children.” Pained and disturbed by many such incidents she came across, Zarghona Hassan decided to dedicate her life to educating families and encouraged them to send their daughters to school as she believes the only solution to this social malaise lies in education.
Zarghona had to find a powerful yet simple medium that allowed her to reach out to thousands with her message of empowerment, and she turned to radio, a device she used to listen to with her father at low volume for fear of being punished by the militia who had forbidden exposure to any media. As a teenager, Zarghona could only tune into news, filled with updates on war and fighting. “I wanted to listen to music and entertainment shows, but it was a hard wish to fulfil.” From that time, Zarghona dreamt of a radio station that would broadcast different types of shows that would entertain, as well as inform, and give people an opportunity to voice their opinions.
Years later, when Afghanistan established local FM radio stations; there were four women on board. By that time, Zarghona had understood the power of radio as an effective medium of raising public awareness. “Our channel played an important role in connecting people to the government and vice versa. We raised the voice of the citizens at different levels, and later each one of my female colleagues established a FM Radio Station that is still running,” says the woman who mentored several women to take up broadcasting as a career.
For a person who hasn’t received any formal training in radio broadcasting, it must have been difficult to run a station. Despite the challenges, despite working with fewer staff after the Taleban attack, Zarghona Hassan continues to work. In the face of security concerns, her team of brave heart women continue to be committed to the cause of lifting their sisters from the abyss of ignorance and apathy. “We continue to face great challenges. At the moment, we are working with only one laptop and a few microphones. Security is also a serious problem. The women working at the station do not use their real names as it is too risky for them. Working in a society like ours requires strong commitment and self-belief. We do try to take all possible measures for the safety of the staff, but they know these measures cannot guarantee their lives.”
Zarghona Hassan founded Radio Shaesta (Shaesta in Pashto means beauty) when she realized women and their needs was not being addressed by traditional media. “The focus of Radio Kaihan, a station I set up using my funds was on youth, education, and the rule of law.” Six years after the founding of the station, Zarghona launched Radio Shaesta. “I realized that women needed a comfortable forum from where they could voice their opinions. They needed a station that would address their needs.” ‘Manned’ by an all female staff, Shaesta works on different aspects of women’s empowerment. “This is purely a woman’s station including the staff members, programme content, and even the playlist.” Through Radio Shaesta, Zarghona and her team try to educate and empower women with information on their legal and constitutional rights, on unwanted traditions like child marriage and on taboo subjects such as reproductive health (Women and Health). By showcasing successful Afghani women and key female activists in the peace process (Afghan women – the Light of Home), Radio Shaesta tries to instil a sense of pride and purpose in their listeners.
In a country where just 15 percent of women can read and write, radio can act as a powerful instrument of change, and Zarghona Hassan realized that early in her career. Today, the station she runs for women reaches out to 800,000 people. But it has not been easy for Zarghona to use the radio to touch lives in a conservative country like Afghanistan. “I was born and brought up in a war zone. I have experienced three decades of war in my country. Perhaps this made me brave and unafraid of obstacles. Many times, I have tried to reach out to Islamic scholars to bring some of them to the discussion table, but it has not been easy. It will be a slow and gradual process to be heard and fully accepted. Change will not be easy, and it will take time.”
Through the years, as a woman activist and as director of a radio station, Zarghona Hassan has faced many death threats from both known and unknown forces but the uncertainties and dangers have failed to affect her commitment to work. “I have been directly threatened by the Taleban as I was airing shows on the national police, human rights, rights of women, and other gender-related topics. At times, it is difficult to live and work under death threats but you have to find your own way of dealing with it. I have shifted many times to Kabul due to high security risks to my person.”
Zarghona’s work with media made her a prime target for the Taleban when they invaded Kunduz last year. On September 28, early morning, the Taleban insurgents managed to enter the city. “By afternoon, they had taken full control of Kunduz and I had no choice but to make a run for it,” said Zarghona who gave several Taleban checkpoints the slip in an all-encompassing burqa. For some days, Kunduz was a war zone. The Taleban ransacked the radio station, looted and burned down the place. Months later, when Zarghona got back, she had to build everything from scratch. But that has not deterred the hijab clad woman from her dreams. “I would like to bring the station to the way it was before the Taleban attack and for this I need national and international support. I also plan to start a television channel focussed on women.” Spurred by violence against women, injustice, gender inequality and forced marriages in her country, Zarghona Hassan has taken up cudgels on behalf of her helpless sisters and the eternal optimist that she is, she believes it will not be long before abuses against women in her home country will come to an end.
Zarghona Hassan has faced many death threats from both known and unknown forces but the uncertainties and dangers have failed to affect her commitment to work. “I have been directly threatened by the Taleban as I was airing shows on the national police, human rights, rights of women, and other genderrelated topics. At times, it is difficult to live and work under death threats but you have to find your own way of dealing with it