Afghan female singer blazes a musical trail
kabul — Smokey-eyed Zulala Hashemi, standing tall in four-inch gold heels, wants to sing for women. The 18-year-old has become the first girl to reach the final of popular television music talent show Afghan Star.
Hashemi, a native of eastern Jalalabad — a stronghold of Taleban and Daesh insurgents — will face off against the first rapper of the competition in Monday’s final.
Their clash will be one of the most trailblazing in the popular show’s 12-year history.
Quietly rooting for Zulala is Aryana Saeed, one of the judges and an indefatigable women’s rights activist.
Saeed, who was born in Kabul but usually lives in London, is likened widely to American reality star Kim Kardashian and is despised by conservatives for her figure-hugging clothes.
“I have never hidden my support as women have little chance in this country,” Saeed told. “For the first time people have voted for a girl — and one who comes from a very conservative province, a land of Daesh zealots.”
Afghan Star, Tolo’s adaptation of “American Idol”, has been a huge hit in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban regime that banned music and cinema.
But since its launch in 2005, it has also seen a backlash from mullahs for the way it features unveiled women singing and dancing. A woman came in third place in 2008, and since then no female singer has gone beyond 7th or 8th position, said Omid Nezami, the show’s presenter and a former contestant.
Aside from the backing of the public, Zulala can count on support from her mother Merem Hashemi, a smiling woman who designed and hand-stitched all her daughter’s on-stage costumes. “Even if I do not win, I will be a singer,” says Zulala in her deep voice, determination in her almond-shaped eyes.
“I wear traditional dresses but my songs follow the path of Aryana. I want to convey a message to Afghan women: they must claim their rights and explore their talents,” she added. —