Long before my interference with the human world, my future was decided by a group of honorable people. They determined how I may live, what I should study, and what my future form and format would be. This project embarks on a journey to navigate between distinguished paradoxes. where the subject of this project was.
The desire to dominate the earth, its stones, mountains, sand, briny, and all the elements that mold this planet. Humans call themselves the creators of societies, technologies, science, art, and many other realms of knowledge that distinguish and categorize us as honorable creatures of this world. Yet, humans create more conflict among selves than any other living beings. To win these conflicts, humans trample on their own values to any extent and continue this behavior countless times across different civilizations, in between families, friends and societies. Even if the conflicts may end quickly, the negative outcomes linger for generations, causing suffering, suffocation, distraction and lasting damage for ages to come.
One such conflict, a surgery in the heart of Asia, occurred in the land known as Afghanistan when two superpowers clashed their horns. To win the war, both parties resorted to inhumane measures. The conflict started in the 1970s, but its negative outcomes have persisted into the present time, affecting the Afghan human and non-human communities. Millions of children, old people, young people, men, women, sheep, cows, birds, ants, grasshoppers, vent water and air of afghan society suffered and will continue to suffer until we do not realize and condemn this fantasy of being a superpower.
In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan, started a brutal campaign using products such as ammonium nitrate compacted in iron cylinders. Around the same time, the USA began its own unique type of assault by “educating” Afghan children “how to play with iron cylinders”. This propaganda permeated every aspect of life, from air and land to knowledge, books, and even food. As a result, the people of Afghanistan suffered immensely back then and continue to suffer today, daily they are flying to the next life physically or mentally.
While the USSR spent money to wash the land, the USA spent over $60 million to segregate Afghanistan's minds, introducing festivals, dance, parties, with Mujahideen and Taliban. This livelihood festival spread both inside Pakistan and the crossing borders inside Afghanistan, covering thousands of refugee camps where children learned about different engineering and mechanical distraction systems to increase the party-related vocabulary.
As an artist, I feel it's my duty to elaborate on this blunder, this act of injustice towards a generation of Afghan children being added to the party. The project was presented to the University of Nebraska by the CIA, funded by USAID, and printed educational material was provided by the IRC “international rescue committee”. It was implemented by Pakistan's army and Pakistan ISI “inter services intelligence” in refugee camps across Pakistan and inside Afghan schools. The project continued with different versions of books and educational materials, later extending to many other aspects that have shaped the current state of Afghanistan. I, as an artist who not only suffered under this educational system but also endured various bombing periods—from the USSR invasion and their use of weapons like the MIG 21 or SU22 Fitter to the entry of US armed forces with F15 Eagle, F16 Fighting Falcon, F22 Raptor, and F35 Lightning II jets—feel compelled to share this story.
As a human being, I suffered through those hard times, under the shadow of different weapons, yet I created my own path. Now, with this project, I want to take you on an imaginary wartime journey where you face the same planes and the same education system. I ask you to draw your own path by any means you see fit and then share your experience with me and with my research project.
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