One of the things I love about Storynory, is the way that users from all over the world get in touch. Last year I had a message from Noorjahan in Afghanistan, asking for permission to translate our stories into a local language, Dari (Eastern Persian), for use in schools. Of course I agreed. More recently an instant message popped up from Noorjahan about her latest work. She has been traveling through North Eastern Afghanistan (Takhar and Badakhshaan) collecting women’s songs and formatting them into a booklet. She also has some recordings which I would love to hear.

I can’t give you the lyrics, because they are in the local language, but her English introduction to her book is fascinating. It gives a glimpse into rural life in this remote and troubled part of the world.

“In some houses women would sing with low voices to avoid informing the male family members who would have prevented them from singing. Some women made me promise that I wouldn’t tell any of their relative that they sung.

“Fearful whispers about the hardships women go through were common. For instance once I was invited to a friend’s house in Takhaar where about 20 women had gathered to sing, but as soon as one of young girls started singing everyone in the room started crying and the music stopped. Later, I learnt that the young girl was married to a violent elderly without her agreement.

“To enrich their songs, women use daira, chang and clapping. They use commonly known themes such as “Anar Anar Anare Naw Bare Man” with their own couplets. Most of these rhyming and rhythmic couplets are made on the moment and they carry a heavy weight of the thoughts of the singers. Even though Badkhashi women sung in Dari and women I met in Takhaar sung in Uzbeki, which I am not much familiar with, most of the songs were about the pain women go through in life, for example they emphasized on the relationship of mothers with their daughters.

“Daughters view their mothers as their shelter against the injustice they face from the male family member and as someone who has gone through the same pains, and sometimes mothers are looked upon as helpers of the fathers and brothers in their unfairness.

“Through their couplets for their mothers, directly and indirectly, young girls complain from the unfair traditions in their communities. Many Uzbeki and Dari couplets express women’s unhappiness in their marriages and about being away from their families after they marry and in most of these songs brothers and fathers are held responsible for the miseries women face.

“In most rural areas, even today, women sit around and take turns to sing with daira in weddings and other parties. Talks around water springs, tailor houses and cookie cooking ceremonies provide women with the opportunity to sing. In every village, there are a few young girls and women well known for their voices and skill of singing. These women are invited to weddings and they sometimes receive some money in exchange for their songs, but as the usage of cassettes and CDs become more common, women’s songs lose their value and listeners among the people. Even though this change in people’s musical taste and their interest to new musical styles might be a natural effect of globalization, but because the original music of these areas are not preserved a huge damage is done to the richness and diversity of music. Therefore; before we lose this beautiful and rich music of the country, musicologist must try to preserve them as a national heritage for humans.

Peace,
Noorjahan Akbar .”

Now Newsweek has picked up the story as part of its coverage of the elections in Afghanistan. From the article, I learned that Noorjahan is 18 years old and has spent two years at high school in America (hence her excellent English).