In this season of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the donor of the first donation we received as part of our campaign to $20,000 to present projects in 10 countries on 5 continents for the celebration of our 20th anniversary in 2025.
The donation was not from anyone I would expect. In fact, as soon as I saw who it was from, I started to cry.
Gul Mohammad contacted me soon after the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021. Hundreds of Afghan musicians did, desperate to get out. But Gul Mohammad’s messages stood out: he seemed even more desperate, and had considerable evidence to support his claim that the Taliban had tortured him for being a musician. So, during the brief window when Cultures in Harmony was able to work with the Mexican government and NGO partners here in Mexico (Proyecto Habesha and the Americas Research Network) to get Afghans to Mexico, we got him here, thanks to donors like you.
Gul Mohammad was later able to immigrate to the USA, yet given the circumstances from which he came, I was overwhelmed that his $510.65 donation was the first made to our campaign. I called him, and he send back an audio message saying: “You are the best, I love you, you saved my life and my wife’s life. You gave me a new life. I have a great job, I bought my car, and still I saved money. Because of you. You saved me.”
Gul Mohammad understands the importance of cultural diplomacy. Through music, we connect to celebrate our shared humanity. And musicians and music lovers inspired by his story helped him escape from the violently anti-music Taliban.
Please join Gul Mohammad in supporting Cultures in Harmony today.
Memory Lane: 2010-2012
The years from 2010-2012 saw us return to the Dominican Republic and to Tunisia. Our founder joined the faculty at Afghanistan National Institute of Music in 2010, and CiH underwrote the visit there of pianist Allegra Boggess, who later joined the piano faculty. Learn more about our work in Afghanistan.
In 2010 and 2012, we returned to Pakistan, where our first visit in 2009 had been extensively featured in a beautiful documentary that aired on national TV and where our rendition of the national anthem had made us beloved. In subsequent visits, we collaborated with Usman Riaz, with local bands like co-Ven, FEW, and Bell, and even recorded an Indian film song with Sarfaraz Anwar on tabla. We gave outreach concerts alongside local musicians in schools.
Work from this time period finds echoes in our 2025 celebrations. We will be raising funds to continue to support Afghan musicians in need, whether they are based in Afghanistan or abroad. Help us help musicians like Gul Mohammad by donating today! As we have seen, they will pay it forward.
