"Who knows whether we'll be the next victims", they say.

July 20, 2014 7:33 AM

"A girl has to fight for her rights from the day she's born until the day she dies", explains Nargis. She and her friends bravely spread the message of equality in a country where the hanging and beheading of women remains commonplace. Facing conservative jibes for walking out without head scarves or for driving a car, these girls must also deal with the bigger worry of random terrorist attacks: "Who knows whether we'll be the next victims", they say.
posted by katrielalex (10 comments total)

I watched this yesterday via /r/Documentaries where it has ~570 upvotes--pretty high for that sub-Reddit, especially after only one day. And I really appreciated its view into everyday life in Kabul, not to mention the emotionally engaging collective self-portrait of these young women. Thanks for posting it here.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 7:59 AM on July 20, 2014

Wow, I've only watched a couple minutes so far but that is fascinating. The view from the roof of their building into downtown Kabul, the one woman who's studying drums "to show people it's not just a guy thing to do," etc. Very cool, thank you for posting this.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:16 AM on July 20, 2014

Watching the film I seem to have feared more for them than they for themselves. I think that's called bravery.
posted by Thing at 8:22 AM on July 20, 2014 [3 favorites]

! (in awe)
posted by ChuraChura at 8:32 AM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

"If I had a sister like you, I'd behead her."

Damn. I can't imagine dealing with that.
posted by anti social order at 8:37 AM on July 20, 2014

Wow, that was amazing and compelling. The street scenes were fascinating, and I am in awe of the bravery it would take to be open and strong feminist activists in that situation. A lot of discussions of Afghanistan culture are so simplistic, so the nuance and depth in this was wonderful to see. Some of the men said awful things, but others supported the protests and threw rocks to chase off the harassers in the car, for example.

I hope they make more films, stay safe, and are successful in helping create a better society.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:35 AM on July 20, 2014

I was shocked at the hostility of the men barely a few seconds into the video, saying they'd even behead their sister for filming out in public.

These women are so brave. I can't imagine the strength it takes to not only face what they face on a daily basis, but then to speak out against it.

One of the women mentioned that it is common for women to be killed and that violence has become commonplace. I thought that was a very interesting comment and I wonder, does it make it easier to commit violence against another when violence and war are all around you? Does the constant violence in Afghanistan increase the frequency or severity of attacks against women? It was good to see that there are men that will indeed stick up for them but it definitely seemed few and far between.

This was a great video and very interesting; personally, I have never come across a "day in the life" type video of women in Afghanistan before. All I, and perhaps many Americans, get are the headlines of explosions in Kabul, or awful stories of acid attacks on women, but it seems too easy to forget that there are countless women trying to lead a "normal" life apart from all the atrocities going on around them.

I only wish we got to see an epilogue of what the women are up to now, as from some of the events mentioned, it looks like this was filmed in 2011. I hope that they are safe and continuing on in their activism.
posted by sevenofspades at 10:04 AM on July 20, 2014

Agreed with all of the above - amazing, compelling. . . I was struck by manifestation of these girls' bravery in their everyday actions - walking down the street, not wearing headscarves, driving, standing up to the insulting men. I perceived them as raising their headscarves when they felt threatened - does it seem that way to other people / is that a normal thing?

As far as what they are up to now, it seems like the narrator / one of the filmmakers is studying law at a university in kabul.
posted by ianhattwick at 1:22 PM on July 20, 2014

Thanks for posting - fascinating and moving. What courageous young women.
posted by penguin pie at 3:54 PM on July 20, 2014

Anyone know where there is a mirror of this, or why it was taken down?
posted by JauntyFedora at 6:12 PM on July 21, 2014