Afghan teenager braves threats, family pressure to lead women's orchestra

Some women say their relatives are proud of their achievements, but they face suspicion and intimidation from others.
Published April 18, 2016

KABUL: Like many teenagers, 19-year-old Negin Khpalwak from Kunar in eastern Afghanistan loves music, but few people of her age have battled as fiercely to pursue their passion in the face of family hostility and threats.

Negin Ekhpulwak, leader of the Zohra orchestra, an ensemble of 35 women, practices on a piano at Afghanistan's National Institute of Music. ─ Reuters
Negin Ekhpulwak, leader of the Zohra orchestra, an ensemble of 35 women, practices on a piano at Afghanistan's National Institute of Music. ─ Reuters

Playing instruments was banned outright during the period of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and even today, many conservative Muslims frown on most forms of music.

Negin took her first steps learning music in secret, before eventually revealing her activity to her father. He encouraged her, but the reaction from the rest of her conservative Pashtun family was hostile.

A member of the Zohra orchestra prepares for a rehearsal. ─ Reuters
A member of the Zohra orchestra prepares for a rehearsal. ─ Reuters

"Apart from my father, everybody in the family is against it," she said. "They say, 'How can a Pashtun girl play music?' Especially in our tribe, where even a man doesn't have the right to do it."

Now living in an orphanage in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Negin leads the Zohra orchestra, an ensemble of 35 women at the Afghanistan National Institute for Music that plays both Western and Afghan musical instruments.

Members of the Zohra orchestra bring instruments to a class before a rehearsal. ─ Reuters
Members of the Zohra orchestra bring instruments to a class before a rehearsal. ─ Reuters

When she went home on a recent visit, her uncles and brothers threatened to beat her for a performing appearance on television, and she had to return to Kabul the next day.

"Compared to women outside Afghanistan, we feel we are in a cage," she said.

A musical score is seen during a rehearsal session. ─ Reuters
A musical score is seen during a rehearsal session. ─ Reuters

In a country notorious internationally for harsh restrictions on women in most areas of life, Negin's story highlights a double challenge.

A member of the Zohra orchestra practices during a rehearsal. ─ Reuters
A member of the Zohra orchestra practices during a rehearsal. ─ Reuters

"The formation of the orchestra is an achievement in itself," said Ahmad Naser Sarmast, a musicologist who returned home from Australia after the fall of the Taliban to help found the National Institute for Music in 2010.

'I will never accept defeat'

While children at the school have the support of their parents, they often face pressure from their wider family as well as from religious authorities, he said.

"The bravery of the girls sitting in the orchestra and the leadership of a young female conductor is an achievement for Afghanistan," he said.

Ahmad Naser Sarmast, head of Afghanistan's National Institute of Music, speaks to members of the Zohra orchestra. ─ Reuters
Ahmad Naser Sarmast, head of Afghanistan's National Institute of Music, speaks to members of the Zohra orchestra. ─ Reuters

Some of the women say their relatives are proud of their achievements, but they face suspicion from others, as well as intimidation.

"When I have my musical instruments with me, people talk a lot behind my back," said Mina, a trumpeter in the orchestra, whose mother is a policewoman in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Mina Salarzai, a member of the Zohra orchestra, an ensemble of 35 women, practices at Afghanistan's National Institute of Music. ─ Reuters
Mina Salarzai, a member of the Zohra orchestra, an ensemble of 35 women, practices at Afghanistan's National Institute of Music. ─ Reuters

"There are a lot of security problems, and if we go from one place to another with our instruments, then we have to go by car," she added.

The dangers awaiting performers in Afghanistan were brutally highlighted in 2014, when Sarmast was nearly killed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up during a show at a French-run school in Kabul.

Members of the Zohra orchestra attend a rehearsal. ─ Reuters
Members of the Zohra orchestra attend a rehearsal. ─ Reuters

He has not been discouraged, however. The formation of the girls' orchestra was the best response to extremists, he said, adding that the school was trying to help Negin continue her education, despite the family problems.

Negin remains fiercely determined to continue on a path that has given her a new sense of identity.

Sahar Malikzai, a member of the Zohra orchestra, practices. ─ Reuters
Sahar Malikzai, a member of the Zohra orchestra, practices. ─ Reuters

"I am not that Negin anymore," she said. "I have been leading this orchestra for six months now, and leadership takes a lot of effort." She is ready to leave her family behind for the sake of her music, she said, although, in Afghanistan, family is crucial to most people's sense of their position in the world.

A music student looks inside the classroom. ─ Reuters
A music student looks inside the classroom. ─ Reuters

"I will never accept defeat," she said.

"I will continue to play music. I do not feel safe, but when people see me and say, 'That is Negin Khpalwak', that gives me energy.”

Negin Ekhpulwak conducts during a rehearsal. ─ Reuters
Negin Ekhpulwak conducts during a rehearsal. ─ Reuters