Unfiltered: Afghan, not Dewana
“Unfiltered: Afghan, not Dewana," is a podcast that focuses on raising mental health awareness in Afghan communities and societies. Often, when we tell other Afghans or even our parents that we are "depressed" or "sad”, the word “dewana” gets thrown back at us. Dewana translates to “crazy” in Dari and each episode will help you better understand that feeling sad and depressed does not mean we are crazy. My mission is twofold: breaking cultural barriers around mental health discussions, fostering better communication amongst Afghans, and amplifying Afghan voices worldwide. Each episode brings unique guests, encouraging open conversations and sharing stories to foster empathy and unity, as well as some solo episodes. Let's embrace vulnerability, shatter boundaries, and make a difference as the proud, resilient Afghans we are. Email me at medinamua18@gmail.com with topic ideas or questions. Together, we'll grow and heal. Together, my #notdewana family we will make our culture even more beautiful than it already is.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNFILTEREDAFGHANPODCAST
Unfiltered: Afghan, not Dewana
S2E5: Afghan Women Strong, Importance of education/awareness, Afghan women's rights, & Mental health/humanitarianism w/ Tarana Rahimi
Hello Jigars and Jaans,
In this episode, I've had the honor of interviewing Tarana Rahimi the founder of Afghan Women Strong. Tarana Jaan is a human rights activist who uses her platform to continuously shed light on what's going on with the women of Afghanistan. Originally, she started her platform to highlight some amazing women and their work in Afghanistan. But with the collapse of the government in August 2021, she decided to change her platform and shed light on how the women of Afghanistan are constantly being affected by it. For example, the ban of education for women is heavily talked about in this episode. Below are the questions that were answered:
- Tarana's introduction/ opening chat about Afghan Women Strong
- What inspired you to pursue this path of an activist and amplify the voices of Women in Afghanistan? (share as many details behind the birth of Afghan Women Strong you'd like!!)
- Can you shed some light on the current situation of girls/women in Afghanistan (education ban, what jobs they can currently pursue, anything you feel is important to share)?
- What can we as the Afghan diaspora do to help?
- Now that you've been in the activist world for some time, what is one thing you love about it and what is one thing you want to change?
- Being such a strong female Afghan figure who is sharing the stories of other Afghan women, What steps do you take to cope with your own mental health through this journey?
- What does mental health as an Afghan mean to you?
Dig Deeper Segment
- What does love mean to you?
- What is the best advice you've ever received when it comes to healing?
- What makes your heart smile?
- If you could change one thing in your local Afghan community what would it be?
- What do you think about therapy?
- What does Tarana mean to you in one word?
Please follow her on instagram and support her in her mission of spreading awareness on the rights of Afghan women!
https://www.instagram.com/afghanwomenstrong/
Nadia Hashmi Jaan's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nadiahashimibooks/
Nadia's Books:
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-that-Broke-Its-Shell/dp/0062244752
https://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Like-Stars-Nadia-Hashimi/dp/0063008289