WAW – WOMEN FOR AFGHAN WOMEN

The project is a collection of images of Afghan women living in the NY area. It came out from my desire to understand Islamic women, after the 9/11 attacks in NYC, and an attempt to see their reality beyond the rhetoric and prejudices that have been attached to their representation.
The aim is to show the present lack of reciprocal cultural understanding between Afghan women and the society they live in. The individuals in my photographs in fact, while connected to the country they came from and shaped by its culture and religion, are also aware of, and profoundly affected by the western culture. On the other end there is little or no appreciation for their culture in our world.
By increasing awareness and bringing to light important mutual interests, I hope to create an environment that will allow collaboration, sharing of ideas, and through pictures, I hope that a reciprocal appreciation will emerge.

The WAW’s project shatters the myth of that covered, invisible, helpless Afghan woman who has been absorbed in our collective imagination thanks to the international media.

Winner in 2003 by The Fund for Creative Communities. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, US.