Homeira Qaderi
on Afghan Women Writing as an Act of Resistance
Dancing in the Mosque.
A book title that makes you stop.
An act of defiance that dares to imagine the unimaginable.
For Homeira Qaderi, this is not a metaphor. It is a memory. A moment of rebellion from the darkness of oppression, back when her life as a resistance girl began: “Dear women, the time is now to take up your pens and notepads and become the narrators of your homeland’s tragedy."
She was only 13 when she became a secret teacher. Under the Taliban’s first rule, schools for girls had been shut down, and learning was “contraband.” But in her home, and even inside a mosque, Homeira gathered young girls to read and write: "It wasn’t just a class for reading the Quran. We were learning to exist beyond the boundaries drawn for us." When the Taliban discovered them dancing, she lied to survive: "I told them it was a punishment for those who didn’t recite the Quran correctly."
Storytelling became the trick that saved her life, and also the moment she understood the power of words. Finding refuge in literature, Homeira and her friends formed a clandestine book, The Golden Needle Sewing Class, as she knew “the Taliban had no problem with girls’ threads and needles but with their pens and notebooks."
Homeira was the storyteller of her troubled homeland: “Writing helped me survive, hoping for the day when I would publish my stories worldwide," she reflects. That day came but at a cost. After years of being a teacher, activist, and advisor to the Afghan government on women’s rights, she fought for education and equality. But Afghanistan is not kind to women who refuse to be silent. When her husband took a second wife, he ended their marriage with three words: "Divorce, divorce, divorce." And with that, he took her son.
“Mothering in Afghanistan is like running along the sharp edge of a sword. I wanted my son to know that I love him, but I also respect my womanhood.” As a “narrator of a troubled land”, Homeira was forced to flee her home: "I decided that I could save myself and many other young people by writing." Today, she lives in exile, but her words live everywhere. She is a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University, a Writer-in-Residence at Yale University, and a global advocate for women who won Afghanistan’s highest civilian honour, the Malalai Medal. Homeira founded the Golden Needle Literary Society to train young Afghan women in storytelling, helping them resist oppression through the force of their pen: “In their diaries, they are narrating the stories of Afghanistan, like Anne Frank. But will the world be interested in their stories?"
Read Homeira Qaderi’s answers for Inspirators and don’t be afraid of a blank page – it might be your salvation.
Thank you, Homeira, for being a Resistance Storyteller!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Homeira Qaderi
Company / Institution: Yale University, Founder of Golden Needle Literary Institution
Title: PhD; Author
Website: Homeira Qaderi
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/homeira-qadari/
Country of origin: Afghanistan
Country currently living in: USA
Your definition of Regeneration: Reconnecting with people I’ve lost.
Main business challenge you face: Unstable politics in Afghanistan, yet a stable culture and tradition.
Main driver that keeps you going: Hope and my son, Siawash.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: The power to stand up to the male courts in Afghanistan and gain custody of my child. Modern motherhood in Afghanistan.
The trait you most value in others: Fighting for the right to freedom and equality.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Writing and publishing my novels.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path: Seeing the sorrow of my mother and grandmother made me vow never to live like them and find my own path.
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Self-belief.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: The exclusion of women in a male-dominated culture in Afghanistan.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Believe that hard times pass, and we are unaware of future events.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
"Jang Chehre Zanane Nadareed" (The War Doesn’t Have a Female Face).
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: Gone with the Wind (Barbad Rakhteh).
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Ahmad Zahir.
Places you traveled to that left a mark on you: Zurich.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow: Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: The evolution of regenerative leadership and collective action.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline): Circles where people pray for each other and share their life stories.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Humanity is working hard to discover itself and the world; these efforts will impact both material and spiritual life.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Ongoing wars in various countries and the tragic loss of life make me doubtful about humanity’s commitment to peace.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Willingness to adapt and innovate.
The quote that inspires you:
"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." (Will Roge)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
