ArtLords, a grassroots movement of artists in Kabul, Iraq, would create murals and works of art on shelled and blast-damaged walls. Omaid Sharifi, president and co-founder of ArtLords, was creating a mural on a wall in Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021, when word spread that the Taliban had entered the nation's capital. He shares his experience of that day.
Videographer and video editor: Bezhan Hamdard Contributor: Sirwan Kajjo
Editor's Note: This is one of four self-narrated TV packages of eyewitnesses recalling the day Kabul fell to the Taliban. They are part of a special VOA series marking the one-year anniversary of the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021. The series also includes stories of Afghan refugees around the world, and data-based analysis of the Taliban's record of governance and human rights, among other topics.
The future of Afghan women under Taliban rule is uncertain. However, what is certain is that female artists will not yield, whether they speak out within Kabul, in exile, or on social media.