Give A Little Bit of Life — Save Afghan Musicians

Music is food for the soul...

Widespread prohibitions on live music, implemented under Taliban rule, are not only erasing the rich musical tapestry of Afghanistan, but actively endangering the lives of musicians who were unable to escape during the Taliban takeover.

 

Musicians left behind in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan currently endure censorship, brutality and the threat of violent persecution. In addition to this fear of punishment they are dealing with reduced access to funds, food and heat due the total eradication of their employment. Winters have been harsh and many have slipped into destitution.

 

The International Campaign for Afghanistan's Musicians (ICFAM) is partnered with the Daanish Foundation UK's (DFUK) Afghanistan Aid programme to provide life-saving aid to those in need.

In 2022 we raised over £19,000 between donations through this site and direct donations to the Daanish foundation. Due to the success of this programme and the ongoing need for musicians in Afghanistan, we have chosen to leave this Go Fund Me active.

 

In Afghanistan just £40 provides food for a family of 5 for a month.

 

Help us keep the musicians of Afghanistan and their ancient musical cultures alive by giving the gift of life.

 

All donations accepted through this platform go to the registered charity, Daanish Foundation UK, which will distribute this aid directly to the musicians of Afghanistan identified by ICFAM who are in desperate need of life-saving support.

 

The most valuable gift is the gift of life.

 

Please donate now—as little as £5 or as much as £1600 (10 families for the winter) will ensure that a musician gets to live theirs.

 

ABOUT CPAM (https://afghanmusicians.wordpress.com/)

The Campaign to Protect Afghanistan's Musicians international group of academics, musicians, music educators and human rights professionals who believe passionately that “music is food for the soul”, as the Chishti Sufis of South Asia teach — موسیقی غذا روح است — and that in accordance with Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all musicians and listeners of Afghanistan should be free to draw upon this precious spiritual and cultural resource without fear. The aim of the Campaign is to support and to secure humanitarian protection for all of Afghanistan’s endangered musicians, from master rabab players to the latest pop stars, with a particular focus on hereditary and professional musicians, music professors and master-teachers (ustāds), women and girls, and those who have been exposed in the media.

ABOUT DFUK (https://www.dfuk.org/)

Daanish Foundation was set up with a vision to promote the advancement of education for disadvantaged young Afghans who are deprived of the right to education due to war and poverty in Afghanistan. We will work with educational institutes in the most remote regions of Afghanistan to help the underprivileged youth, who cannot afford to go to school to learn basic literacy and numeracy in order to be able to read and write. In addition, we aim to fund and/or provide for essential school stationery, books, IT equipment, school uniforms and basic furniture.

ABOUT SAA-uk (https://www.saa-uk.org/)

South Asian Arts-uk (SAA-uk) is a centre of excellence and talent development hub for Indian classical music and dance in the North of England. For over 20 years this registered Charity has focused on educating, celebrating, and promoting music and dance, striving to enrich people's lives through engagement in traditional and contemporary South Asian arts. We are committed to spotting and developing, commissioning, producing, and championing new artistic expressions and we strive to represent the diversity of global communities in 21st Century Britain.