Afghanaid Presents: Celebrating Music & Dance in Afghanistan

A Live Panel Discussion with Lauren Braithwaite, Zarifa Adiba, John Baily & Ziba Tabrizi

On Thursday 18th June, tune in to our live panel discussion from 5:30pm GMT with Lauren Braithwaite (Zohra Orchestra, Conductor), Zarifa Adiba (Zohra Orchestra, Conductor), Professor John Baily (Goldsmiths, Afghanistan Music Unit) and Ziba Tabrizi (Professional Dancer), as we explore their respective experiences with music and dance culture in Afghanistan.

Register for your free place

• Learn about the “new musical life” in Afghanistan since 2001, and the steps to ensure the restoration of the country's status as a centre of creativity;
• Understand the role music and dance can play in uniting people through adversity and hardship, especially within peace-building processes;
• Hear about the importance of developing initiatives aimed at Afghan women;
• Seize the opportunity to get your questions answered by 4 fascinating professionals.

Meet the speakers

Ziba Tabrizi is a leading exponent of dance from Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and neighbouring regions. As Britain's only professional Afghan dance soloist, Ziba has performed alongside numerous Afghan musicians, including Obaid Juenda, Timor Shaidaie, the Kabul Boys, Ahmad Obaid, Jalal Azizi, Milad Yousefi, Kamran Joya and Belqess Younusi.

John Baily is a Professor of Ethnomusicology and Head of the Afghanistan Music Unit at Goldsmiths (University of London). Over the last 30 years, John's research has focused mainly on music in the diaspora and in Afghanistan, and he has published several books and articles, as well as CDs and films on the topic.

The Zohra Orchestra is Afghanistan’s first all-women Orchestra. Based in Kabul at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), the musicians comprising Zohra are some of the first women to study music in Afghanistan for over 30 years. Lauren Braithwaite and Zarifa Adiba are both conductors for Zohra. 

After initially living in Pakistan as a refugee, Zarifa returned to Kabul and enrolled as a student at ANIM at 15 years old, taking up the violin and viola, and now has become one of the first Afghan female conductors.

Alongside her conducting role for Zohra, Lauren is a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, wherein her research is examining the position of music in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and the various religious, political and cultural perspectives on music in the country. 

We are extremely excited for what will be a truly informative discussion with these fascinating panellists, and hope you will join us.

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The situation in Afghanistan

People living in Afghanistan are familiar with coping under challenging, extreme conditions. Nonetheless, right now they desperately need your support to get through the COVID-19 crisis. The virus poses a pervasive threat to a country already struggling, and places even more pressure on infrastructure that has already been weakened by enduring conflict and increasingly frequent natural disasters. We're posting regular updates on the pandemic in Afghanistan to keep you informed as the situation develops.

Wondering how you can help?

You can spread the word about the situation in Afghanistan by joining our At Home Heroes. It’s simple - just pick your pursuit and get involved! Run, bike, create, quiz, or why not join Ziba and #DanceForAfghanistan - just follow the video below!

Join our At Home Heroes

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This panel discussion is a free event, but if you’d like to make a voluntary donation to support the people of Afghanistan get through this crisis, you can do so in a few short clicks. 

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