Soosan Firooz is a
23 year old actress from Afghanistan that has turned to rap to help spread what
women in Afghanistan are facing.
In the early 1990’s Firooz and her family were Afghan refugees living in
Pakistan and Iran. During her time there she faced a hard life and poor
treatment from the locals. From her experiences she drew inspiration to create
her debut song “ Our Neighbours.” Along with her experiences her song also
expresses her desire for Afghanistan’s neighbors and other countries not to
interfere but to let them build their country themselves. Firooz was drawn to
rap because of listening to the male rappers in the country and believed she
could share her story with other Afghan women. Being outspoken in Afghanistan
has brought Firooz an increase in danger. Even though she faces dangers and
threats her family still supports her in her efforts. Her father quit his job and accompanies
her to and from the studio to make sure she is safe. He continues to encourage
her in songs because he believes she has talent. Firooz wants to stay in
Afghanistan to continue to spread her messages to other women.
Breaking
into male dominated careers is hard for women to do around the world. To do so
in conservative Afghanistan brings danger but also awareness to the oppression
of women in conservative countries.
At the beginning of the semester we talked about how to start a movement
and how to tackle social problems. Soosan Firooz breaking into the rap world in
her country can be applied to stages mentioned at the beginning of the
semester. Firooz realized that women in her country and Afghan refuges were
facing severe problems and wanted to bring awareness to her cause. Music has
become more influential around the world and is becoming more popular even in
Afghanistan. Firooz realized how popular it was becoming and decided that would
be her vessel to spread her ideas. Coming from a conservative area of the world
and breaking traditional rules for women she is bringing awareness to a global
issue of equal rights to women everywhere. Not only is she breaking traditional roles, her family is
too. Having a strong support system from her family in particular her
father. Women are still being
treated unfairly not only in Afghanistan but also around the world. In today’s
world technology helps connect people across the globe with sharing ideas,
messages, and movements. According to Youtube video statistics the top viewing
countries were Afghanistan, Sweden and Norway. Though she has found some smaller
success she is at risk for counter action by groups such as the Taliban.
Other Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpjeuiadIYM&feature=fvwrel
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