A warning from Afghanistan for every woman

Important note: The event will take place at the Concordia Press Club!

The Taliban have been back in power in Afghanistan for five years. And the world seems to be getting used to it. In Brussels and other capitals, Taliban representatives are invited to talks on the readmission of Afghan citizens; in Austria, too, the government has been negotiating with representatives of this ultimately totalitarian Islamist regime. Meanwhile, the Afghan people are met with little more than weary expressions of pity and political powerlessness. Zahra Joya, one of the most courageous journalists and women’s rights activists, ensures that her people are not forgotten and remain on the radar of international politics.
As a child, Zahra Joya survived the first period of Taliban rule as Bacha Posh – a girl who disguised herself as a boy so that she could go to school. As an adult, she witnessed the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 before being forced to flee Afghanistan. Zahra Joya is one of Afghanistan’s most renowned journalists and the founder of Rukhshana Media, an independent news organisation dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Afghan women. Zahra Joya has recently published her memoir, The Vanishing Girl of Kabul, a powerful account of her life and her homeland, as well as a warning about the consequences of denying women their fundamental rights.

Zahra Joya, An Afghan journalist living in exile in London, founder of Rukhshana Media, one of Afghanistan’s first news agencies dedicated to women’s stories, and author of *The Vanishing Girl of Kabul*. She and her team have continued to report despite immense risks. Her courageous journalism has earned her international recognition, including the Foreign Press Award, the Louis M. Lyons Award and the Marie Colvin Award. In 2022, she was named one of TIME’s Women of the Year and one of the BBC’s 100 Women. She is a Fellow at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.

Moderator:
Solmaz Khorsand, a freelance journalist, podcaster and award-winning author whose work focuses on social and political issues