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Exhibition giving Afghan women and girls a voice

Women from Afghanistan have shared their stories of living under Taliban rule for a new exhibition.

Window to the Soul Afghanistan launched on Friday, at Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich, and will be displayed for four weeks.

The project team spent the last year creating a secure platform for women still in Afghanistan, and those who had left, to share their stories of life before and after the Taliban

Nageena, 17, who fled Afghanistan and moved to England three years ago, worked on the project and said she missed her home.

A piece of artwork depicts an Afghan women wearing a full face veil. The area where her eyes would usually be on show has also been covered up. She stands in a doorway that has bars in front of it, trapping her inside.

The Taliban, a hardline Islamist group, took control of Afghanistan in 2021 and under its rule women and girls have been subject to strict and oppressive laws.

Nageena and her family fled Afghanistan the day the group took over, which she said was "a very bad day".

She still has family there and said her female relatives, over the age of 12, were not allowed to attend school due to the Taliban's ban.

She stressed the importance of education and said it was "not only about what boys and men can do".

Now living in Suffolk, Nageena is studying a college hairdressing course, but she admitted she still thought about her home.

"I miss my country because it is my home, but I can't go home," she continued.

"When I think about my country I feel very broken in my heart and it's very sad for us."

She said the exhibition had made her feel brave and that she was capable of anything.

Hannah Aria smiles at the camera. She hair red hair that has been tied up. She also has a microphone piece resting against her cheek.

Hannah Aria is a local artist who helped set up the exhibition.

"I started off working with refugees in Ipswich," she explained.

"As you gain more connections with people, you connect with the stories and then you want to do something positive to help."

She was introduced to a contact in Afghanistan and through them, met others who shared their stories.

The exhibition makes use of virtual and augmented reality to tell the stories of "people from Afghanistan in an amazing game-like format", Ms Aria said.

She added the exhibition aimed to apply for more funding to expand it further and tell more stories in the future.

"We want to change the world," she said.