Afghanistan National Institute of Music on solid ground in Portugal with help from a Swedish initiative

In 2018, Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast was awarded the Polar Music Prize for his work with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). He is also the founder of Zohra, Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra comprised of women between the ages of 13 and 22. The return of the Taliban to power, placed the lives of students, faculty, and staff of ANIM at extreme and direct risk.

The school and its community have always been a target of the Taliban which has only been magnified after the takeover of the Taliban forcing members of the Zohra Orchestra and ANIM community to flee from Afghanistan. With the assistance of the government of Qatar they were evacuated to Doha. The Portuguese government has agreed to accept the group and committed to facilitate the reconstitution of ANIM in Portugal so that ANIM orchestras including the Zohra Orchestra resume their artistic life and continue their education.

The final obstacle has been the flight from Doha to Lisbon, but after contacts between the Polar Music Prize, Skill Shift Initiative, Novare, Friends of ANIM and SAS, funding to fly the 272 people from Doha to Lisbon with SAS on the 13th of December has been secured by donations from both private individuals and businesses, including a notable donation from Spotify.

Marie Ledin, Managing Director Polar Music Prize: I am incredibly happy and proud that in just a few days we have raised money so we can help Zohra, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music and Dr. Ahmad Sarmast to finally get to their new home in Portugal. I would also like to express my gratitude for all of the generous contributions that we have received in just a few days. It is incredible to see the commitment to these young girls’ and boys’ futures. Thank you!

Dr Ahmed Naser Sarmast: On behalf of the whole ANIM-community I would like to say how grateful we are for the help we are receiving, not least from Ms. Ledin and Mr. Hillelson from Skill Shift Initiative for reaching out to their generous network and getting the funds necessary for the flight between Doha and Lisbon. Portugal will be a new chapter for us, and one which we all are very much are looking forward to. To know that all the girls and boys are safe and hear the orchestra tune up once again and perform fills me with the greatest joy.

Please read more about ANIM at https://www.anim-music.org

Contact
Fredrik Hillelson, Co-founder Skill Shift Initiative (Beredskapslyftet)
fredrik.hillelson@novare.se, +46 73 520 00 62
 

Jessica Lustig, Treasurer Friends of ANIM
jlustig@21cmediagroup.com, +1 646 489-6230

About
Skill Shift Initiative (Beredskapslyftet) started in March 2020 by Novare together with the Wallenberg Foundations and Sophiahemmet University. The aim was to mobilize temporarily available resources to support Swedish workplaces in health, school and eldercare that were under strong pressure during the corona crisis or in need of emergency assistance. Today, Beredskapslyftet is a non-profit association. www.beredskapslyftet.se/english