The former Afghan parliament member and women’s rights activist Farkhunda Zahra Naderi focused on the power of the Afghan women during her speech at TEDx global conferences.
Titled ‘The journey of myself where I am still a traveller’, Miss Naderi provided an individualistic perspective regarding the path of her life and about the building block of herself yet in a very simplified version.
She recalled the start of her career in the politics as an MP at the age of 29, saying “Regardless of the fact that I never liked politics I grew up to become an MP (at the age of 29).”
Miss Naderi further added “I worked as a lawmaker for 5 years in the Parliament and represented the beautiful province of Kabul. I fought for women’s participation in the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. I was president of the Democracy and Human Rights Committee in International Inter-parliamentary Union from 2014.
I studied in Baghlan, Kabul, London and Tashkent – where I gained my BA in Law. Today, as well as fighting for justice, I also am looking at ways to engage creatively with the world such as through design work.”
Emphasizing on the power of the Afghan women during her speech in the event, Miss Naderi said “I learned one thing in life that the most ordinary Afghan women are in fact the most extraordinary women and human of our land! They are like unseen and unknown treasure but they make mountains higher with pride: they are beautifully powerful!”
“I never ever can, plus I never want to be as beautiful as those Afghan women. That beauty hurts my eyes but yet inspired me: they made me revolutionary in mind and inspired me to fight for The Femininity,” she added.
Miss Naderi saida “I believe there are many cages in life but for Afghan women that cage is very well defined. I always thought escaping from the cage is not the solution one has to confront reality and attempt to break the cage! For me breaking the first door of that cage was to break the taboo of women’s participation in the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.”
She also added “I am a mountainous woman belonging to a mountainous nation where the pride of its history hits the peak of Hindukush and the Pamirs! So I wanted to understand and feel my mountainous nature and pay for being not only an Afghan but an Afghan woman.”
The ex-lawmaker admitted that Freedom is not for free and has a price to pay; insisting that “Everyone deserves to have freedom.”
“Hence, I think it is fair when we pay for our freedom and live in it rather than expecting someone to give it as a gift or to buy it for us while the majority of world’s population are still missing their basic rights. As an Afghan especially as an Afghan woman I know the value of that freedom with the price of opportunities, with the value of life and the treasure of our existence!” she added.
In other parts of her speech, Miss Naderi called on the Afghan people to fight for the change as the current generation is challenged to make the history of coexistence and tolerance lively again, which once meant challenging to our neighbors.
“This is the land of bravery and freedom fighters: not only women like Gُurd Ofrid, Sultan Razia, Gohar Shad Begum and Malika Soraya, but men like Rustam, Surab, and Amanullah Khan must not be seen as tales and history but get resurrected from the pages of our books. We have to fight for the change. Even the one that left the country they need to equip themselves strongly with soft powers to return for the front lines. It is our fight so we must fight it ourselves!” she added.
She also talked about the menace of terrorism the Afghans are facing. However, she insisted that the fight against terrorism is not only an Afghan war ”e cannot fight everyone’s war in our land but the fight to restate our country’s position is our responsibility and the Afghan fight!” she said.
“Terror is not only our enemy but the enemy of human civilizations. It targeted us for others reasons then it targeted the world. Raising voice for human values and solidarity is the motto of 21st century citizens but surely Afghans are there on the front line with them,” she added.
“This is the land that superpowers recall in their history with failure to rule. But now we must rule we must rule our destiny and future, now we must grow with our friends and coalitions,” she concluded.
