Afghan woman creates jobs and instills hope for artists in Kabul amid the pandemic

Niloufar Saleem, Staff Reporter

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about a lot of unemployment and hopelessness among the youth in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul.

Most of the unemployed are the youth of the country who have lost jobs and opportunities due to the pandemic.

  Faiqa Sultani, a 27-year old artist, paints on the wall.

Amid all the chaos, Marzia Panahi creates a small ray of hope, among the helpless and unemployed youth, with her inititative.

She employs young artists to work on canvases in a small gallery called Namad in Kabul.

Panahi opened the gallery amid the pandemic aiming to revive the lost creativity that has been buried in her country, Afghanistan.

 Faiqa Sultani paints on a felt at the Namad Gallery in Kabul

She wanted to bring back the tradition and culture of her country that has been forgotten.

Faiqa Sultani, a 27-year old artist, said she had initially felt depressed due to the lockdown and lack of opportunities, but since joining Namad her mood had improved.

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"When I paint, it is a kind of expression of my feelings on canvas, paper, or felt that I enjoy," she said.

"Painting on felt means that we can revive the old traditions and show people that we can use our Afghan resources and make our lives more beautiful."