Department of English, 308.865.8129
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND WOMEN’S STUDIES SPONSOR
Search for Freedom, a film by Munizae Jahangir
Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 12:30 p.m.
Copeland Hall, Room 131
Free and open to the public.
Synopsis:
Search for Freedom traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan
from the 1920s to the present through the stories of four remarkable women: Princess
Shafiqa Saroj, sister of the beloved progressive King Amanullah (1919-1929);
Mairman Parveen, the first woman to sing on Afghan radio; Moshina, a war widow and
survivor of a Taliban massacre; and Sohaila, an exiled medical student who ran
underground schools for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women) during
the Taliban regime. Stunning archival footage from the early 20th century captures a
time of remarkable freedom for women that belies most Western perceptions. Other
historical footage reveals women’s realities and resilience under near constant
occupation, starts with the Soviet invasion, then under the mujahadeen and more recently
under the repressive Taliban. Defying the image of Afghan women as mere victims,
Search for Freedom offers a nuanced portrait of women who find choices where none
are offered and who continue to find hope in the face of exile and isolation.
