Afghanistan’s First Female Orchestra Performs Live Despite Death Threats

The performance was powerful and how!

An all-female ensemble of musicians called ‘Zohra’, with its members aged between 14- 20 who are students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, performed at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos.

Afghanistan is a country that has banned art and music for a long time. Here, practising and learning instruments called for intimidation and even death threats. The group performed Beethoven on a rabab and sitar while breaking decades of gender inequality in a country that has been termed unsafe for women.

(Credits: freemuse.org)

All the 30 female members were the first in their families to learn music and overcome death threats in their own country in order to perform. They were joined by Afghanistan’s first female conductors, Negina Khpalwak and Zarifa Adiba, along with members of Collège de Genève, a youth orchestra, for this powerful performance.