Our friends at RFE/RL are organizing ………..
….an exhibit showcasing some of the thousands of hand-painted scrolls and letters received by Radio Azadi, RFE/RL’s popular Afghan radio station. Since it went on the air in 2001, Radio Azadi has received “fan mail” from merchants, clerics, farmers, university students and schoolchildren across Afghanistan. RFE/RL is presenting these letters as a gift to the Library of Congress’s permanent collection.
“Voices from Afghanistan” offers a window into the daily lives of the Afghan people. The letters are mainly written in Dari and Pashto and come from ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Persians, Uzbeks, and others. In some of the displayed letters, teenagers describe conditions at their schools, villagers complain about corrupt officials, and young lovers make song requests. Drawing on a centuries-long tradition of calligraphic art and miniature paintings, many authors painstakingly adorn their letters and scrolls with elaborate, ornate designs and colorful pictures. The multimedia exhibit also includes Radio Azadi audio clips as well as manuscripts, maps, photos, and music from the Library’s permanent collection of artifacts from Afghanistan.
Venue: The Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Members of Congress Room. The exhibit will run from February 11 – May 11.
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