Fawzia Koofi
on liberating Afghan Women and the power to look the Taliban in the eye
An Afghan proverb says: “Blood cannot wash out blood”. You need clean water to do that.
Fawzia Koofi is the embodiment of “The Force” tarot card. A blend of strength and courage who is gently putting the hand in the lion’s mouth.
A woman who lives in exile, but still dares to look the Taliban in the eye! A Nobel Peace Prize nominee who is struggling to pour a lot of water to clean up all the blood that has been shed in her country for decades. Fawzia is an accomplished author and an internationally known advocate for the rights of women, children and democracy. She is the first female in the Afghan parliament to be elected as Second Deputy Speaker, proving daily that “the power of words is stronger than the power of bullets.”
Being a popular vocal critic, she was one of a few women chosen to negotiate with the Taliban and has survived multiple assassination attempts. Coming from a family of 23 children, her childhood taught her to fight for equality. She started combating violence against women because experienced it firsthand. Now, she can easily spot the qualities of a really regenerative leader: “The ability to go beyond philosophical discussions and really connect to the people. The ability to be accessible as a leader, to share your dream. Don’t keep your dream to yourself! The moment you share your views, you will find your enemies, but you will also find many supporters!”
Death has always been her faithful companion, as Fawzia believes she never felt the taste of inner peace. Her memoir, “The Favored Daughter”, begins with a shocking statement: “Even the day I was born, I was supposed to die.” Her mother left her newborn daughter out in the sun, as she didn’t want to have another girl suffer as much as she suffered. Her mother, the one who became, in time, her main supporter and inspiration.
Fawzia manages to blend tradition with independence in an elegant and bold way. The scarf is her identity. She enjoys wearing simple headscarves and vehemently resisted the Taliban’s imposition of the burqa on Afghan women: “We all have our roots that we belong to. These roots give us power, originality, and authenticity. A scarf should symbolize the right aspect of tradition and not a barrier to progress. The Taliban’s message is - you are nobody, you are invisible, you are just a number in a crowd. Forcing women to wear a burqa in order to stop their progress and from being who they are is a huge problem. Women must have ownership: they should be the ones deciding their own outfits.”
Read Fawzia Koofi’s answers for Inspirators and be your main supporter! Perhaps the worst thing that can happen to any woman is to lose herself: “Losing sense of who you are or the sight of your dreams is one of the saddest things.”
Thank you, Fawzia, for being a Vocal Spirit!
Stay inspired and inspire!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Fawzia Koofi
Company / Institution: Women for Afghanistan
Title: Author, Speaker, First Woman Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Afghanistan, Nobel Prize Nominee
Website: https://fawziakoofi.org/
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fawziakoofi/
Country of origin: Afghanistan
Country you currently live in: In exile!
Your personal definition of Regeneration: When you develop resilience, your skin grows thick. It can have cracks. In order to get rid of those cracks, you need to start afresh, renew, and redefine your narrative. You do not need to change it completely, but write it in a new and different way. For me, to regenerate means offering yourself the space to reflect on what you can do differently while sticking true to your values.
Main business challenge you face: I feel that I don’t have my country anymore. I find myself in front of a dilemma: I want to serve my country, be an agent of change, and be there for the people who believe in me. But I strongly feel that I have a different status now, as I am not able to be physically there with my people in my own country.
Main driver that keeps you going: Hope. My strong belief that I will be able to offer the much-needed change to my country, to free the women in Afghanistan again so they can breathe as normal human beings do!
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: My persistence. I do not give up no matter how enormous the challenges can be.
My love for the people I represent. My love for all the trust they have in me. They believe in me, so this is why I always say to myself “There is an end to this, this too shall pass.” That is what keeps me motivated. Also, all the love and support from the people I represent.
The trait you most value in others: Honesty. Genuineness. If people are, first of all, true to themselves, it helps us create bridges, it drives us towards genuine connection.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Exercise is my coping mechanism.
As a mother, I find joy in my daughters’ success. When I see them thrive in their careers and education. When I realize that they are free and they have the chance to continue to become good humans and agents of change. Girls in Afghanistan do not have this chance, so seeing them succeed and fighting to help other women have the same opportunities is what makes my heart full.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path: My mother. She was not educated. she lost her husband when she was 35, she had to take care of many children, including my siblings from my father’s other wives as well. Every woman struggles, every woman has problems. But she was passionate, she was a leader - in her home, in her community, taking care of everything and everyone.
My mother has always been my main supporter. She fought for my education despite my brothers being completely against it. She would always say to me: “You will be someone!” Someone can mean different things to each of us, it depends on how you measure success. For me, it meant being a change agent, being an Inspirator, and raising up to my mother’s dream. Her trust in my spirit generated that seed of hope and confidence in myself that made me continue to want to become “somebody”. Our mothers’ support is vital in our becoming.
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey: First of all, I think anyone who wants to start a career has this perception that the moment we have an office, a salary, everything is fine. They don’t look beyond their desk and table to see how they can be agents of change. To see how they can bring a positive change in your company or community, big or small.
Striving to bring a change is not an easy path, especially if you are a woman. It feels like you start climbing a mountain and then you are pushed back to point zero. But you have to start climbing that mountain again. You have to continue because there were so many generations before us who strived for change and thanks to their efforts we are where we are. We need to pave the way for others.
Do not lose hope. There might be days when you can think “Why are we doing all of this?” That is when you need to see the big picture.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: The biggest issue that bothers me in the global order is the discrepancy between words and action. I hear so many speeches at conferences. I hear lectures about goal-setting, SDGs. There are so many objectives. However, in reality, we see very little practical level. For example, access to resources or equity in the workplace. But how many world leaders are women? How many CEOs are women? How many women are on the list of the wealthiest persons in the world?
The world is such an unequal place. So, what bothers me is that everybody talks. Even when it comes to women in Afghanistan – everyone shows their support in words, but when I specifically ask for 1,000 scholarships for women to study abroad and goals, nobody says anything. Offering some scholarships is a very basic measure, but even with that, I had difficulty in obtaining them. This is because 1,000 women who leave to get educated become a force. A force no one can stop.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Don’t settle for just a job and a computer. The world is big and full of opportunities. Explore. Don’t be afraid of taking risks and entering the uncomfortable zones.
Books that had a great impact on you:
A Thousand Splendid Sons – Khaled Hosseini. I finished it in one night! It resonated with me so much, with my life, with every woman in Afghanistan’s life!
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy
Must-reads for any regenerative professional: I always believe that change – in terms of reaching sustainability in all fields of life – has to come from the grassroots. I would advice people to read books, but also connect with their roots and live experiences. I would suggest reading autobiographies and real-life stories of inspiring people that could make you see what made them who they are and how they managed to overcome the challenges they have faced. Or the ones they didn’t manage to overcome. I think these are the books that show us real-life experiences.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: I listen to many Afghan musicians, especially Ahmad Zahir. His music is my therapy when I exercise!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: I travelled to more than 60 countries, but some villages that I visited in Afghanistan where I saw the live situation of women shaped some of my politics. I also visited some countries in Africa, where I witnessed the same level of treatment on women that made me feel stronger about what I do and believe more in my cause!
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Helen Clark
Angela Merkel
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: I think we should keep an eye on the whole online world, on artificial intelligence, to see what comes next.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): I am in favour of offline, but the world is changing dramatically. I honestly think that you need to feel individual presence and vibes, but online is becoming the new norm. When I was travelling to these remote parts of the world, I met people who had no access to the digital world. They would come to me directly and expressed their love. What is missing in this digital world is the possibility to express affection, the warm energy you feel in real life.
Events we should attend: TED events. UN General Assemblies – to have a sense of where the world is going.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The world is a much more aware one. We are much more connected, so if something happens in a corner of the world, the rest of it will be very quick in terms of reaction. We are more conscious of our human rights. Communication and connectivity are accessible now thanks to digital platforms. We are going in the right direction as global citizens.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: The discrepancies between rich and poor. The injustice – not only in terms of gender inequality but also based on religion, the country you come from. We are becoming more and more radical in our approach, more judgmental. There is a sense of superiority in terms of certain nations and countries. Some really struggle. Right now, I don’t think we live in “a world for everyone”.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: The ability to go beyond philosophical discussions and really connect to the people. The ability to be accessible as a leader, to share your dream.
Don’t keep your dream to yourself, share it with the people. These are the qualities that will regenerate our ideas. The moment you share your views with people and the causes you believe in, you will find your enemies, but especially your supporters. Be open! Be transparent!
The way you are an Inspirator to yourself: I am persistent in what I do. I get my positive energy from myself sometimes. There are days when I come across so much injustice, when I see things not moving in the way I want them to. I get disappointed, it hurts me. After 20 years of investing my time and my blood in Afghanistan, I see things going back to zero point, it hurts so much. What keeps me moving is the inner knowing that what I am doing is the right thing. I have the power to persuade my own subconscious mind. It keeps me on my path. I have to continue to be persistent, to not give up.
The Inspirators you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter:
All the women who were arrested by the Taliban. When you are arrested for your activism, even your family will start to disown you. Even so, the next day these women are out protesting, so I think we have so much to learn from them in terms of strength, passion, and determination. There are days when we lose hope completely when we get disappointed. That is when we need to look to those people who have a harder life and think “How can they make it?”
The quote that inspires you:
“This too shall pass!”
Your own quote that will inspire us:
