As Afghanistan sees a stunning uptick in tourism regardless of years of battle, 1000’s of miles away in New Delhi, it’s the ache of displacement and “want for homeland” that unites Afghan refugees. On World Refugee Day, June 21, this shared sense of nostalgia and resilience introduced collectively a whole lot of individuals from Afghan, Iranian, Burmese and different refugee communities at Alliance Française for a night of music and reminiscence.
Whereas artists from varied nations carried out throughout genres, it was Salaam, a band of Afghan refugee musicians, that left the viewers spellbound with their soulful qawwalis. Singing legendary Afghan artist Farhad Darya’s songs and weaving in conventional folklore, the band channelled a robust message of peace. The viewers nodded alongside, clapped in rhythm, and lots of felt a uncommon second of “dwelling”.
The Salaam band was began in 2013 and the artists discover it as a strategy to join with their homeland and channelise their feelings (Photograph: Alliance Francaise)
In an interplay with indianexpress.com, members of the band spoke about their creative journey, how they make music a device to heal minds and unfold the phrase about Afghanistan.
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The band was based in 2013 by Ahmad Haidar Hadis, who beforehand launched one other group, Yuva Beats, in 2010. Hadis, who began his musical journey as an adolescent in Pakistan, has over 20 years of expertise in music. He sought refuge in India in 2009. Through the years, he has labored with Afghan tv and was a member of the distinguished Afghan band Nawa.
“There was no platform for refugee musicians in India,” Hadis mentioned. “That’s why I began Salaam. We needed an area the place we might protect our music, our language, our heritage.”
The band’s supervisor, Athena, recounted the group’s early days. She mentioned most individuals who stumbled upon them needed to ask concerning the Taliban, how they function, and the “state of affairs” again dwelling. “Afghanistan isn’t just concerning the Taliban; we needed to color an image of our folks dwelling there. We need to depict our tradition earlier than the world – the land isn’t just about battle however many different issues,” she mentioned.
Athena shared that the band’s members fled Afghanistan through the years attributable to instability and lack of creative freedom. “Even in the course of the US intervention, artists weren’t protected. India was a pure vacation spot due to its pleasant ties with Afghanistan and the relative ease of acquiring visas and refugee documentation,” she mentioned.
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Maasih Jafari, the band’s guitarist, mentioned music stays a contested topic in Afghanistan. “In some areas it’s authorized, in others it’s thought of haram, relying on the area’s cultural and non secular leanings,” he mentioned.
From Farah Daryah’s works, Parde mein rahne do to Afghan folklore, the band enthralled the viewers. (Photograph: Alliance Francaise)
Jafari, a self-taught musician, started taking part in in 2018 and joined Salaam in 2023. He attracts from a variety of influences, together with Hairat, Iranian people music, and Farhad Darya’s work. “We don’t simply want peace for Afghanistan, we’d like it for the entire world,” he mentioned.
Remembering the times of displacement and searching for asylum, guitarist Badnashare mentioned, “You undergo turbulent feelings, and it’s a troublesome expertise. The songs you create will resonate with it. Our music exhibits important components of the friendship between Afghanistan and India.”
Madiha Hasiq, the band’s lead singer, mentioned, “All our songs are associated to our homeland, and music is how we keep related to Afghanistan.”
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From embassies to United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) occasions and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) cultural festivals, Salaam has discovered its rhythm in India’s various music scene. The band sees music not simply as efficiency, however as survival, as a type of emotional launch, a strategy to inform their tales.
