Real Talk: Afghanistan – The Great Betrayal
Part 1

Friday, October 29, 2021 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm CEST/GMT+2 
Discussion

After the precipitous withdrawal of the U.S. and its allies from Afghanistan in August, tens of thousands of Afghans who had worked with them are stranded in Afghanistan, fearing for their lives and futures. Comparatively few have been evacuated to the West. While every day civic and political rights are being more restricted by the Taliban - especially women’s rights to work, to education and to political participation -, many are trying to flee to neighboring countries, countries that have actually closed their borders. In Pakistan, which advocates for the legitimacy of the Taliban rule, the mood against the refugees is tipping. Prices for a visa, transportation, smugglers, food, and everything else are skyrocketing. Desperation is growing among the people left behind and in Afghan diasporas around the world.

Join us for an evening discussing the current developments with BCB students from Afghanistan. Refreshments will be served.
 
Part 2 (time and date tbc) will be an online event in which the discussion from part 1 will be screened and then discussed with select guest speakers.

Speakers:

Qais Sangarkhail, (Humanities, Arts, and Social Thought ‘23)

Having survived Taliban rule in Afghanistan, arrived alone in Germany aged 22. He went on to study Humanities at Bard College, Berlin, with a full scholarship and now he is in his third year’s bachelor program. Today he is working to raise awareness on issues concerning the violations of human rights and rights to education in Afghanistan as a diaspora in Berlin.


Ibrar Mirzai (Economics, Politics, and Social Thought ‘24)

Ibrar is a second year BA student at Bard College Berlin. He has been living in Germany for over a year after having spent three years in Hungary. He grew up as a second generation Afghan in Pakistan and always felt connected to Afghanistan through culture, language and ethnic identity. “Today, another generation of Afghans are losing their homes and livelihoods - another generation of Afghans are going to live in exile. The world has to stand up in solidarity with Afghans." 

Sayed Parviz Khyber (Economics, Politics, and Social Thought ‘22)

Sayed was born in Afghanistan and has lived most of his life as a refugee first in Pakistan and then in Hungary, graduating from high school there. He is currently in his final year of the Economics, Politics, and Social Thought BA program at BCB. He has worked as a social worker in refugee integration programs in Hungary until 2019 and is now a member of the European Commission Expert Group on the Views of Migrants in the Field of Migration Asylum and Integration.

This event is part of the Real Talk Series and supported by the Open Society University Network Threatened Scholars Initiative and the Mellon Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education.

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