The students of the Portugal-based Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) are going to hold a joint concert with German and Iranian artists in the city of Bonn.
Ahmad Sarmast, director of ANIM, said that this concert will be held from September 9-16.
On Tuesday, Sarmast posted the news on Facebook and said, "I am happy to still run the Afghanistan National Institute of Music despite all the challenges and maintain the position of this institution as the voice of the Afghan people on international stages."
After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the students of ANIM took refuge in Portugal.
Deutsche Welle (DW) English wrote in a report that about 270 students and faculty members of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music are in Portugal.
Shabana, one of the institute's musicians, told DW that when the Taliban returned to Afghanistan, her life changed, and "it was a nightmare”.
In the past two years, the Taliban have banned music, calling it forbidden, and the group has continuously cracked down on musicians and people who listen to music.
Sarmast also said that the students of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music consider themselves as cultural ambassadors of the country. According to him, following the ban on music by the Taliban, Afghanistan has fallen into silence.
The director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music said that he hoped to create lasting changes in Afghanistan by launching projects like "Zohra Orchestra" where all the musicians are Afghan girls. "I still have this hope," Sarmast said, adding, "Since the Taliban will not last forever and should not last forever.”
