Shabana Basij-Rasikh
Benefitting School of Leadership Afghanistan
Shabana Basij-Rasikh grew up in Kabul. Her parents dressed her up like a boy and sent her to secret school so that she could get an education, which under the Taliban was illegal for women. But Shabana had a dream, and while attending college abroad she founded the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), Afghanistan’s only boarding school for girls. She has faced the Taliban’s recent resurgence with incredible determination - her forward-thinking saving the lives of hundreds of girls. Her hopeful message continues to inspire a vision for Afghanistan that is brighter than its past.
In this episode, we talk about:
Shabana’s experience going to secret school.
Her opportunity to come to the US as an exchange student.
Co-finding SOLA
Burning the records of the students when the Taliban took over.
The mission behind SOLA.
Shabana’s hope for Afghanistan.
Wise Words
S: I remember as we would walk out of the house the school principal, the woman who was the head of the household, she would remind us almost on a daily basis, “Remember, as you walk out of the house, walk as fast as you can. Don’t look back. If you are caught, take them to your house, don’t bring them here. More people will be killed here, less people will be killed there.” It was a routine reminder that we understood, that made sense to us.
S: I did carry this belief or thinking that they were so cruel to send us off every day out into this danger just so that we could receive an education. I didn’t see really the purpose, because I couldn’t see what the future was.
S: My parents would try to reason with us and remind that, and I’ve said this so many times, they would tell us, “Look, in life we could lose everything we have. We could be forced to leave our homes.” Twenty years later, they are right. That is exactly what happened to us recently. “We could lose any material possession that we have. We could lose our homes to a natural disaster or be forced out during a war, but there is one thing that no one could take away from us, and that is our ability to think for ourselves, and that is our education and what is inside our head.”
S: Here was the principal of our school not only standing there in the middle of the school without a burqa, but I remember she had makeup on, another thing the Taliban discouraged women. Not that they could even see their faces, but they still discouraged a woman from wearing makeup. She had a bright red lipstick on
S: Before we came to the US, they had us watch a couple of movies. The first one was, I think, Charlie and Chocolate Factory, which was wonderful. I think the second movie they made us watch, and I still don’t understand why, was Mean Girls.
K: Way to scare you.
S: Exactly.
K: If you’re not scared of the Taliban.
S: This time I was really scared.
S: I did have reminders, sometimes in a really polite manner, sometimes in a really direct manner, from well meaning individuals, people that I reached out to as potential supporters of the idea, who said that this was impossible. I’m so grateful that I didn’t let those stop me.
S: SOLA, as I envision it, is a movement. It’s a movement with a long term view for Afghanistan. It’s about establishing and nurturing networks of Afghan sisterhood across the country.
S: It’s a movement that helps young women get out of this mindset that they have internalized that their lives, that their education and their opportunities are second to their brothers or the men in their lives to realizing that these girls, they themselves matter and that they have potential. Not only that they have potential, but that they have an enormous sense of responsibility towards their country and towards building their country.
S: I stopped calling these girls future leaders of Afghanistan, I called them leaders of Afghanistan, already having such enormous impact in their communities.
S: I remember a conversation with another SOLA student, asking her what she was doing during her break. She with a big smile said, “I decided to teach my mother how to read and write.” I was so touched by what she said. How did you decide this is what you wanted to do? She said, “My mother grew up without an education. I remember she always told us how much she wished she knew how to read or write, but because she grew up in war, never got a chance to go to school.” She said, “I also know how much my mom prioritizes our education. She doesn’t let us do house chores, so that we can prioritize our homework. I don’t want my mom to die without realizing her dream of being able to read signs and billboards when she is out shopping, so I helped her learn how to read and write.”
S: I quite honestly didn’t even think the Taliban takeover was possible, even until the day Kabul fell to their control. But here we are.
S: This is 2021, and I can’t believe that was our reality. As someone who navigates very different worlds and realities between Afghanistan and the US, knowing that just a few hours outside of Afghanistan having physical records as a female student is not a big deal, and yet it can be life threating in a moment like that.
S: Every one of these girls, as I see them, are so bright and committed and motivated, especially right now knowing what they have left behind. I know that when the time is right they will be among some of the most influential leaders of Afghanistan.
S: I hope people do not look away from Afghanistan.
LINKS
Website: www.sola-afghanistan.org
Facebook: SBasijRasikh
LinkedIn: Shabana Basij-Rasikh
Twitter: @sbasijrasikh
Facebook: Sola.Afghanistan
LinkedIn: Sola Afghanistan
Twitter: @solaafghanistan