|
 The letters from different parts of Afghanistan express a tangled
mix of confusion, resignation and fear.
"I live in grief but I smile. People think I am brave but I have no
choice," wrote one unidentified person.
The letters, part of a project called Dard-e-Dil (a painful heart)
are addressed to U.S. diplomats, the Taliban and government
officials.
They are being written as high-level talks are underway to find a
political settlement to end a war that has raged on for 18 years.
"I am writing with a hope that we have a better life in Kabul, we
live amidst so much tension, I can do nothing to change the
situation but I am still writing," wrote another person from the
Afghan capital.
The Dard-e-Dil project aims to give ordinary people an outlet to
express their feelings at a time when the peace talks among top
officials dominate politics, even though the fighting has not
subsided.
"The prevailing political uncertainty is clearly the most
nerve-racking phase for Afghans, most of us are already battling
depression and mental health issues," said artist Omaid Sharifi, who
organized the project.
Sharifi's interest in expressing the feelings aroused by the
conflict goes back to his work with ArtLords, an art collective he
co-founded that has become famous for the dramatic murals it has
painted on grim concrete blast walls around Kabul.
His team has installed special letter boxes outside cafes,
educational centers, hospitals and government offices, encouraging
people to try to deal with their anxieties and voice their opinions
about the peace talks in letters.
The letters are sorted at the ArtLords studio with the aim of
sending them on to government authorities, diplomats and the leaders
of the insurgency.
More important, though, is the need to help people tell their
stories, a basic requirement for mental health, said Sharifi, who
struggled with anxiety for years.
[to top of second column] |
"Everyone has a right to narrate their story. Some of these stories
will highlight and reveal human rights abuses and some will offer
hope and solidarity," he said.
Wahid Mayar, a spokesman for the public health ministry, estimated
that about half of the population will experience mental stress
during their lifetime, a consequence of war often overshadowed by
daily struggles.
"The suffering of mental illness in Afghanistan is a silent war. If
peace comes then we will have to accept the new normal, but
currently we are in a phase of tremendous uncertainty," Mayar said.
"The prospect of peace brings hope and anxiety. We wonder can peace
ever come to embrace us, to calm our minds," he said.
Accurate data on mental health is not available in Afghanistan but
the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than a million
Afghans suffer from depressive disorders and more than 1.2 million
from anxiety disorders.
The WHO says the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Nobody expects the letter-writing campaign to heal the wounds of
more than four decades of conflict but it may allow at least some
people to start working through their fears and prepare for an
uncertain future.
"There are times when I want to run away from my country and then I
think I should wait for peace and plan my life here," wrote one
person.
"Kabul is always the best place to be."
(Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Paul Tait)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
