Afghan artist questions “patriarchal war” in Lyon
This November, Afghan visual artist Kubra Khademi is in residence at the New Generation Theater in Lyon. A loyal artist had to leave his country after performances that were considered sulphurous. A meeting with a woman committed against the Taliban regime.
It’s a very quick transition in the city, time to prepare your accommodation. This afternoon at the end of October, Afghan artist Kubra Khademi took a break in the Atelier building (at Lyon 2), the hall of the New Generation Theater on the peninsula. During November he is working on a new job in Lyon. For this he mobilizes religious and historical texts and the 7th century poetry of his country: Afghanistan. The country he had to leave seven years ago.
Only 33 years old, Kubra Khadami quickly takes on the stern face of a man who has already lived several lifetimes. The visual artist, hated by the Taliban regime, had to leave his country in 2015, long before their arrival. For good reason, his art has always been restless.
 100vw, 2000px”/><figcaption>Artist Kubra Khadami is in residence in Lyon throughout November. ©PL/Rue89Lyon</figcaption></figure>
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<h2>Afghan artist known for his paintings of women’s bodies in Lyon</h2>
<p>From a very young age, this martial artist has been painting naked female bodies. A passion he could not “explain” except in its political aspect. </p>
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“Women’s bodies have always been highly politicized in Afghanistan, as everywhere else,” she says only in explanation.
His art intersects with two major issues that plague Afghan society: patriarchy and war. For a long time, his speeches in Afghanistan tried to mobilize on these issues. In 2013, he blocked the highway at the entrance to Kabul with a truck he had created as a bedroom. Purpose: to show the scene of everyday life. A simple 40-minute “stop” in the lives of Afghan drivers to bring them back to everyday life and out of the armed conflict.
“War takes the lives of citizens,” he said. The idea was to prevent that. »
 100vw, 694px”/><figcaption>Afghan artist Kubra Khademi became famous for her depictions of naked women. ©Portfolio Kubra Khademi</figcaption></figure>
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<h2>“There have been no major changes. The country has changed, but not me.</h2>
<p>Along with his paintings, his performances would contribute to his popularity. They will also speed up his departure. In 2015, she was filmed on the streets of Kabul wearing steel armor and modeling her hips and breasts for a play called “Armour”. In a society where a woman is confined to her home, a video highlighting her body is causing controversy. Objective: Condemn street harassment and harassment of Afghan women. Faced with the agitation of the crowd, he is forced to shorten his walk by half. Under pressure, he has to leave the country. He was only 26 years old at that time. </p>
<p>Since then, he has been active in exile against the “patriarchal war”. </p>
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“There was no serious change. The country has changed, but not me,” he comments.
Since his departure, he has remained constantly connected with news from Afghanistan. He receives information through social networks or relatives staying there. That’s how he watched the Taliban’s “horrific, inhuman” rise to power last year. His family had already fled them in the 1980s. Being part of the Hazaras, he and his family have always been a privileged target for the Taliban. Like 30 years ago, they had to go into exile.
 100vw, 994px”/><figcaption>During Kubra Khadami’s speech <em>Armor</em> In 2015 in Kabul. ©Portfolio Kubra Khademi</figcaption></figure>
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<h2>“The war remains in our psyche. In fact, it remains in our artistic expression”</h2>
<p>Throughout our interview, the conflict keeps coming back to his words. This is an integral part of his work:</p>
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“The war remains in our psyche. In fact, it remains in our artistic expression”
The artist, who is a deep feminist, believes that she has a responsibility: to tell and show what is happening in her country. There, women are not only the first victims of the Taliban, but also their first enemies.
For him, there is no doubt that women are the solution to many conflicts in Afghanistan. He does not trust the former Afghan government, which is “50% responsible for the situation,” nor the United States, which is there to “serve its own interests.” According to him, the correct answer will be given by the “girls” who were killed by the regime on the spot.
“There is resistance from women there. But they can’t do anything without guns,” he sighs.
Afghan artist in Lyon: women as conflict resolution
On his scale, the artist tries to attract women politicians. He wrote a letter to Angela Merkel to be aware of the situation.
“I asked her to come as a feminist to save the thousands of women and children living in our area,” she says.
In France, she is fighting for avenues to be renamed after women. In January, she replaced four plaques on the driveway of Commander Masood, a high-profile symbol of the Afghan resistance in the late 1990s, with plaques bearing the names of forgotten feminist activists.
“In this country [la France], we always talk about Massoud, usually shouts the one who lives in Paris. But where are the women? »
Frozan Saafi (killed by the Taliban), Fowzia Wahdat, Hoda Khamooch, Rokhshana Rezai… These heroes have names. Some have been assassinated, some are still leading the struggle from within. For Kubra, it’s about making their voices heard, like the voices of struggling women in Iran. A “powerful and inspiring” revolution among Iran’s neighbors for an activist who expects these battles to be recognized at their fair value. At least symbolically.
Why not, for example, name a street in Lyon after an Afghan fighter? There would be a place in the capital of the Gauls, where less than one in 15 streets are named after a woman. At a time when the environmental crowd has vowed to right this wrong, the idea may hold ground.
