Afghan Reality has Moved

Please visit the new website here
or visit http://www.sunleaf.wordpress.com

Thank you,

Update - Crisis 600

Yes, I am still alive albeit with greater sleep deprivations and deeper thoughts to our indifference to the senseless deaths of little children and their mothers in Afghanistan.

Virtual Afghans, a popular Afghan music website, has gratefully published a piece I wrote a couple of days ago:

Hall of Death: Finding The Answers
Some 16 percent of Afghan women die while pregnant or during childbirth. Sixty out of every 1,000 Afghan newborns die and one child in four dies before reaching the age of five.

Read More

Crisis600 launched

As promised, the Crisis600 is in its final stages of completion and is almost ready for official launch. I look forward to individuals from across the world joining us in a fight against this forgotten crisis.

Please visit the link below and become a member of this important initiative.

http://www.afghanpeace.ca/crisis600

Crisis600: A Global Action Campaign

Afghanistan remains a country where 600 children under the age of five die every day, mostly from preventable causes.

The first time I read this statement by the United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF), I could not believe my eyes. I cannot imagine that as educated, well-to-do citizens, mostly residing in the West, we could ignore such an appalling crisis.

It is in this context that I will not be updating my blog anymore. Instead, I am shifting my energy,time and devotion to the ambitious project for Afghanistan's children: Crisis600, dedicated to fighting under-five mortality in Afghanistan.

My purpose is to make 'Crisis600' a global campaign and raise awareness about child and maternal mortality in Afghanistan.

Action campaigns, posters, appeals, petitions, and fundraisers would be some of the ways to make a difference.

This vision would not become a reality without a team of dedicated individuals regardless of where you are located.

If you want to make a difference in this cause and would like to participate in planning, implementing and making this project a success, please leave a comment.

You could also email me at crisis600{at}gmail(dot)com

A website for 'Crisis600' will soon be launched. Let's Make U5M (Under five Mortality) History in Afghanistan.

UNICEF Press Release

What You Didn't Know About Afghanistan

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Some words of advice, inspiration, optimism and caution from renowned personalities - lessons often learnt too little, too late. I necessarily do not support all the opinions, but I would emphasize that anyone claiming to know about Afghanistan must know these and other equally pivotal words of wisdom by heart before "thinking Afghanistan".

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"Whatever countries I conquer in the world, I would never forget your beautiful gardens. When I remember the summits of your beautiful mountains, I forget the greatness of the Delhi throne."

Ahmad Shah Durrani, Founder of the Afghan Empire, (1747-1773). Many Afghan historians consider Ahmad Shah as the true founder of modern Afghanistan

“Few, if any, calamities in our time have befallen the world without some advance notice … from this rostrum. Thus, if fools and folly rule the world, the end of man in our time may come as a rude shock, but it will no longer come as a complete surprise.”

Abdul Rahman Pazwak, Afghanistan, President of General Assembly on retiring 19 Sep '67

Globalization is also playing a role helping drugs trafficking and terrorism which now circulate in a global network. Afghanistan deserves to be helped out of its civil war and misery - this is where lies the hope - that the time may have come for the problems here to be resolved. Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Special Advisor to Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, the first time around, from 1997 to 1999 when I gave up, that is where I had seen these foreign players do their worst. Lakhdar Brahimi

A fly cannot go in unless it stops somewhere; therefore weapons, fuel, food, money will not go to Afghanistan unless the neighbors of Afghanistan are working, are cooperating, either being themselves the origin or the transit. Lakhdar Brahimi

The misery in war-torn Afghanistan is reminiscent of images from the Thirty Years' War. Jurgen Habermas

"Once Europe existed in a Dark Age and Islam carried the torch of learning. Now we Muslims live in a Dark age." Mahmud Tarzi, Afghan Intellectual, advisor to King Amanullah Khan(1865-1933)

"My spirit will remain in Afghanistan, even though my soul will go to Allah. My last words to you, my son and successor, are: Never trust the Russians." "The first and most important advice that I can give to my successors and people to make Afghanistan into a great kingdom is to impress upon their minds the value of unity; unity, and unity alone, can make it into a great power."

Abdur Rahman Khan Amir of Afghanistan (1880-1901)Considered by western scholars as the "founder of modern Afghanistan".

With quotes from: Afghanistan Online
Cartoon by: Hozhaber Shinwari

Afghan Ownership

When I read senior government officials, intellectuals and civil society leaders bring out Afghan ownership, I sit back and ponder: whose ownership again?

Do we mean the young generation growing up without access to basic education? The impoverished women deprived of their husbands, brothers, sons and daughters? Or, those elements of the Afghan society who have failed the test of the Afghan nation? Where would these Afghans who will take the ownership of the nation actually come from?

Today, Farhad Daray stands up to this challenge of taking on the agony and torment of a war-weary nation battered by despair and the loss of loved ones.

One of the most illustrious, humble and gifted Afghan musicians whose lyrics and voice have been both the reflections of the pains and joys of the Afghan nation for decades, Farhad Darya has pledged over 7,000 Euros and 5,000 US dollars assistance for orphans and artists.

Speaking at a news conference, the artist said the money would be distributed among the children and the singers through a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and the Afghanistan Music Foundation.

This is not a one-time selfless act by the 47-year old artist in exile. He was the first of hundreds of singers to travel to Afghanistan and give people the hope for a better future. Wherever he travels, Farhad Darya is showered with warmth, affection and praise from his compatriots.

He has taken on numerous humanitarian projects: I'm cold, Afghanistan in Not, Loud Night, A bridge between starts as some illustrations of his consistent contributions to remedy the deep wounds of poor Afghans.

Farhad Darya has set an example for millions of youths, artists, celebrities and 'cool stars' to rethink their responsibilities and horizons.

U2's Bono and Microsoft's Bill Gates were named Time Magazine's Persons of the Year 2005. Farhad Darya's passion for helping the humanity is paralell to, if not less, than what these great personaliteis have devoted to Africa and the rest of the world.

Farhad Darya may not have won any war, but he has left his comfort zone to help defeat some of the greatest enemies in Afghanistan: darkness and poverty.

He has ventured into an uneasy road travelled by very few, if any, Afghan celebrities. It is a road that every Afghan, man, woman and child must take to build our own dream of a prosperous Afghanistan.

Now, this is my earnest vision of Afghan ownership.

With files from: Pajwok News

Related Link:

Farhad Darya's Official Website
Watch Darya's Video Songs

This is Afghanistan, eh?

"The impressive castle on a hill in the middle of a luxurious park at the end of Jade Darulaman was designed for King Amanullah by the French architect, M. Godard, to house the Parliament and the Secretariat. It was, however, never used for its intended purpose and is currently (1977) occupied by the Ministry of Justice." (An Historical Guide to Afghanistan by Nancy Hatch Dupree}