Afghan Women's Reality: An Immersive Theater Experience 'One's Own Room'

Theatrical Experience: 'One's Own Room'

• 🎭 The immersive theatrical experience 'One's Own Room' aims to recreate the current reality for women and girls in Afghanistan.
• 🛋️ It begins by evoking traditional Afghan hospitality with cushions, rugs, and fine china, but gradually shifts to a feeling of confinement and oppression.
• 🔊 A three-dimensional soundscape and visuals, including men in streets and a young woman's narration, convey the restrictive atmosphere.

Origins in 'Inside Kabul' Podcast

• 🎙️ The theater piece is inspired by the award-winning podcast 'Inside Kabul,' created by Caroline Gillet.
• ✍️ The podcast featured voice notes from two young Afghan women, Raha and Marwa, who shared their experiences after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
• 🎧 Despite the risks, Raha and Marwa provided hundreds of messages and sounds, describing daily life, checkpoints, and the inability for girls to attend school.

Artistic Collaboration and Vision

• 🎨 Afghan artist Kubra Kadami, living in exile, designed the production, drawing from her raw and immediate art style.
• 🖼️ Kadami's art, including drawings of countless small figures on walls, symbolizes the counting of days in imprisonment.
• 🔗 Her work connects contemporary Afghan women's resistance to historical figures like Robia Bali, a 10th-century poet and artist.

Preserving Stories and Fostering Hope

• 🗣️ The creators emphasize the importance of continuously telling and highlighting the stories of Afghan women to prevent them from being forgotten.
• 💡 Despite extreme pressure and censorship, artists in Afghanistan continue to create and resist, with art breathing 'underground.'
• 📻 Initiatives like the radio project 'Beumu' aim to provide education to girls, though access to internet, electricity, and devices remains a challenge.
• 🌟 The experience seeks to create spaces that offer a possibility to learn and foster hope amidst the difficult circumstances.