Diana Saqeb to speak, screen film dealing with women’s rights plight in Afghanistan
The UT community hosts renowned human rights activist and filmmaker, Diana Saqeb, in a series of events this week featuring her work.
Saqeb has been a powerful advocate for women’s rights in Afghanistan, initiating protests in 2009, when she was 28 years old. She detailed the experiences of women in the Afghan Parliament in her documentary, “25 Percent,” which has been screened internationally in venues like the Swedish Parliament and the International Security Assistance Force Camp in Mazar-e-Sharif.
“I like to screen my documentaries for people all around the world,” Saqeb said. “It is important for me to show my films, because people generally associate war and terrorism with Afghanistan, but I try to show other parts of Afghan life to the people of the world.”
Saqeb mainly focuses her films on the plight of women within her country.
“A lot of artists make films trying to show something about Afghanistan, with a lot of films depicting poor or uneducated Afghan women,” Saqeb said. “I try to convey the other side of the story in my films.”
Anne Buckle, senior in music, is responsible for arranging Saqeb’s visit.
“I met Ms. Saqeb while I interned at the U.S. Embassy in Paris this past summer,” Buckle said in a statement. “She was visiting Paris with several other Afghan journalists on a U.S. government-sponsored program that aimed to help the group network with Western media organizations.”
Saqeb is eager to expose different parts of the world to her work.
“When I met Anne in Paris, she suggested that I screen my film here,” Saqeb said.
Members of the UT community say they are delighted to have the opportunity to host Saqeb.
“We have a whole week’s worth of events planned,” Leah Adinolfi, director of student engagement for the Baker Center, said. The schedule should give students several different chances to take advantage of their opportunity to meet the activist.
Buckle sought to expose the Knoxville community to Saqeb’s unique perspective.
“My eyes were opened to the real situation for women in Afghanistan today through her film, and I was so moved by it that I wanted to help her spread the word about the fight for women’s rights in her country,” Buckle said. “She enthusiastically agreed to come, so when I returned to UT in the fall, I asked the Baker Center if we could possibly pull this off. Thanks to Leah Adinolfi, we did.”
Saqeb is highly respected in the international community for her work.
“She is the leading women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, and she spreads her activism through her documentary films,” Buckle said. “She is incredibly well-spoken, fearless and intelligent, not to mention poised and gracious. I honestly think she should run for president of Afghanistan. In fact, President Karzai chose her to represent Afghanistan at President Obama’s Nobel Prize reception a few years ago. She has a passion for justice, freedom and equality, and she isn’t afraid to fight for what she believes in.”
The activist met with students on Monday at the I-House for an informal meet-and-greet. Several students turned out to ask questions and interact with Saqeb. Her documentary, “25 percent,” was shown Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium.
A “Diversitea” session will take place with Saqeb at 5 p.m. at the Tyson House Episcopal/Lutheran Center. Saqeb will also make appearances at various classes and events on campus during her stay.
Given the developments in the last several years between the U.S. and Afghanistan, Saqeb’s experiences are highly relevant to discussions of U.S. foreign policy.
“Afghanistan is the hot topic in current affairs,” Buckle said. “From Western media sources, we constantly hear about American troops on the ground in Afghanistan, the Taliban, terrorist groups and corruption in the government. We hear about the opium trade and Afghanistan’s unstable economy. But how often do we hear about the civilian people in the country? How often do we hear the stories about women being killed for trying to become educated? Ms. Saqeb offers a unique, real view of the current state of life for the ‘regular’ people in her country.”
Buckle said she hopes that students will take this opportunity to gain real perspectives on the nation and its people.
“Her films show an Afghanistan that has not been refracted through the lens of Western media channels,” Buckle said. “She brings the truth. Students in Knoxville, Tenn., have the opportunity to find out what’s really going on in that war-torn country, where so much of our tax dollars, media attention and political rhetoric have been spent in recent years.”
Saqeb said she hopes that her work will introduce a different perspective on Afghanistan and its people.
“We can’t change everything overnight, but we are working to bring about change through art, films and paintings,” Saqeb said.
