Ambassador Jawad Helps Launch Exhibition of Young Afghan Photographers
Ambassador Said T. Jawad addressed an audience at the Goethe Institute in Washington, DC on the occasion of the opening of, “Life and Nothing Else: An Exhibition of Young Afghan Photographers,” on October 1. The exhibit chronicles the rebuilding of Afghanistan through the lenses of a number of young Afghans, who chose to focus on personal subjects such as famly life, living rooms, orphans, weddings and religious life. For many of the photographers, this is the first opportunity that they have had to exhibit their work outside of the country, and to tell their story to an audience that is not always familiar with this more intimate, quiet side of Afghan life.
The evening was moderated by Almut Wieland-Karimi, Executive Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, who spoke about the years she spent in Afghanistan establishing media centers. She described the exhibit as a contribution to “cultural diplomacy” between the U.S. and Afghanistan, where subtle images of everyday life can be explored outside of a political context.
Ambassador Jawad gave a brief speech, describing the contrast between media imagery and reality in Afghanistan. “A 24 hours news-cycle and a mentality that ‘if it bleeds it leads’ give the impression that Afghanistan is a place of war and destruction and not much else. Part of my job as Ambassador is to show another side of Afghanistan, and to celebrate my country’s rich cultural heritage and long history. As this exhibition demonstrates, Afghanistan is home to many images of hope and progress,” he said. The Ambassador praised the work of the young photographers and the Goethe Institute for allowing their art to be seen by the public, and emphasized the importance of communicating and sharing across cultures. In honor of the 800th birthday of Rumi, a number of the master poet’s works were read in Dari and English, accompanied by a rubab.
The exhibit runs throughout the month of October at the Goethe Institute in Washington, DC, and was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
