Sonita Alizadeh has used the power of music to comfort and help others escape current hostile situations, especially in her hometown of Herat, Afghanistan.
Alizadeh fled to Iran after escaping near arranged marriage in Afghanistan. There she learned the basics of reading and writing along with rap stylings. Although it was illegal for a woman to sing, she rapped in secret and managed to film short music videos. Her songs feature the abuse of child marriage, begging for women's rights. Alizadeh's most famous music video-"Daughters for Sale"- was recorded after another incident with her mother's attempts to sell her.
Sonita now attends Wasatch University in the U.S., has a contract with the Strongheart Group, and sends money to her family at home who encourages her song-writing.
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This is absolutely awesome! I can't imagine the amount of courage a girl my age had to possess to escape that lifestyle. Alizadeh's story reminds me of Anne Hutchinson who was rejected from her community because she preached a different lifestyle. This also applies to the development of women's rights all over the world. In America, we're used to being accepted into the workforce and, while not always fully respected, treated well. However, areas like Afghanistan don't hold these views. People like Alizadeh who don't conform to the crowd can change these views.
That's such an interesting turn of events, I never would have thought to do that! Now I feel I have to look up her music :)
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I hope she does more raps/songs about these issues so no one can ignore them and something can be done about it. (Bella Di Fazio pd:8)
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ReplyDeleteWow what an incredible story! It's amazing how rap has changed her life and the others around her! -Nicole Chatham 6th period
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that she was able to find a way to express all the negativity in her previous life and turn it into something positive and helpful. I also applauded her for risking her life just to be able to just that. We women have to continue to rise above the oppression we face as females in a male run world. If women like her Sonita keep doing these amazing thing, we can change the world we live in for the better.
ReplyDelete-Kiyanna Elliott