Kayhan Irani

November 7, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

Closing Time

Kayhan Irani

November 7, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

There’s no way around it. I can’t hide, pretend it’s not happening, close my eyes. I have to have to face it -the project has come to an end. Well, my part of it has come to an end and now the young students are tasked with carrying on the work and moving it forward. I have learned a great deal by spending these 6 weeks in Kabul, listening to people, observing life, understanding daily struggles, seeing entrenched attitudes and thinking about all of this in light of how art and culture can be used to educate, build community, and inspire change.

Kayhan Irani

November 4, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theater

Making Waves

Kayhan Irani

November 4, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theater

This last week has been filled with performances for NGOs and community spaces throughout Kabul. We often have 2-3 per day which makes for hectic and fun times. So far we’ve performed at schools, orphanages, for the National Police force, a community center for widows and orphans, the Kabul women’s prison, and in the garden of a women’s rights organization.

Kayhan Irani

October 27, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Not just a Banana

Kayhan Irani

October 27, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Sometimes a banana is just a banana … and sometimes it’s more! For the young men’s theater group, a banana represents the multiple problems in Afghan society. Dealing with the seemingly insignificant task of where to throw the peel leads the main character on a journey through the maze of maze of problems on all levels of Afghan society.

Kayhan Irani

October 20, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Sisters Are Doing It

Kayhan Irani

October 20, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

I’m writing two separate blog posts, one about the young men’s production and process and one about the young women’s. This one is all about the women. Despite being located in the cosmopolitan capital city, it seems that this theater group is the first all women’s group in Kabul. Many of these young women, even though they have studied theater at university, have not performed on the stage for audiences – not even in university productions. Well, here’s their chance! They are talented, smart, passionate, and ready to shout from the rooftops.

Kayhan Irani

October 18, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

Romantic Rabab

Kayhan Irani

October 18, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

Here’s what happened the other day … Every day, in the room we train in, I hear drums playing, horns blowing and people jamming. Yesterday I took it upon myself to investigate the source of this funkiness. So I walked the halls of the fine arts building at Kabul University. I was stopped on one staircase by some heavenly rabab playing. Coming from where, I didn’t know. It was magical and lovely to just stand there and listen.

Kayhan Irani

October 14, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Theater, Social Change, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

Bigger than Me

Kayhan Irani

October 14, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Theater, Social Change, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

I’m tired. Tired, tired, tired. I work 6 days a week with the actors, then spend many more hours at the apartment revising agendas, planning, And trying to connect with local and international NGOs who would be interested in supporting this fledgling theater company when we leave. We go to meetings in the mornings and then go to the university in the afternoons until evening working hard and pushing the students harder. The sky is dark when we leave and Kabul is getting chilly, “sard-e-st” … “it is cold” in Dari.

Kayhan Irani

October 8, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre

Training Days

Kayhan Irani

October 8, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre

Today is Friday, the traditional day of rest. Families spend time together, friends meet, people go out. Today is the end of my second week in Kabul and the end of my first week training the brilliant young actors. Today I also rested, met friends, and ran errands.

Kayhan Irani

October 2, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre

Stupid American

Kayhan Irani

October 2, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre

Being raised in a South/West Asian home, in NYC, I have the privilege to be able to see things from different cultural perspectives and to carry with me the knowledges of many people. (I use the plural to reflect that there is no one “knowledge”.) I am blessed to have an extended family of second mothers, sisters and brothers who have shared with me some of Puerto Rican culture, African American culture, LGBTQ culture, Jewish culture and so on. I am grateful to have that information and perspective as a part of my being.

Kayhan Irani

September 29, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

Kabul goes to my head

Kayhan Irani

September 29, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

The last four days at the Kabul Theater Festival has been heady, thrilling, hopeful, and heartful. I was overjoyed to meet most of the theater artists that I worked with last year. They were presenting their work at the festival (one of them won best scenery and costumes!) and they all looked radiant and full of life. Moreover, I met so many new, creative people working in MANY different provinces of Afghanistan and in different forms of theater.

Kayhan Irani

September 24, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

Kabul and Me

Kayhan Irani

September 24, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

This time around being in Kabul feels more intimate. Maybe it’s only natural that when you return to a place you can see the details, the special features. But something else feels different, something between Kabul and me. Kabul and Me … I like the sound of it.

Kayhan Irani

August 21, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

Summer Happened So Fast

Kayhan Irani

August 21, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed

With fall peeking around the corner I am determined to soak up the last bits of summer; the long, stretched out days, the sense that time has stopped inside this humid container of a city, the need to see old friends and hear their summer reflections and meditations. My summer meditation is on structure: the structure of my life as an artivist and how to structure arts and culture work for social change. In the still moments, the message I get is: “do the work and see”, but a wall of chatter soon builds up around it.