In a country where women can’t sing without permission from the government, she is making waves for being Afghanistan’s youngest female rapper. Meet Sonita Alizadeh.
Image courtesy: hokkfabrica.com
According to a report by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, around 60-80% of marriages are forced here. While Afghan civil law states that a girl cannot marry until she is 16 (or 15 with her father’s consent), United Nations claims that about 15% of females here are married before 15.
Sonita grew up listening to Eminem and Iranian rapper Yas and she was so passionate about music. So, she chose music as her medium to let out her pent-up emotions. She started rapping about her life, her family’s refugee status, the war in Afghanistan and the challenges faced by Afghan women and youth. She rapped about her friends who too faced the blows of life like her. She sang in secret with the help of a few defiant music producers.
She teamed up with Iranian filmmaker and created the music video for her song “Brides for Sale”. She posted it on YouTube which caught the attention of the Strongheart Group that works for the traditionally marginalized people through art.
They arranged her visa and offered her a full scholarship to Wasatch Academy in Utah.
Last year her music got her all the attention, even internationally. She wrote an anthem for a US funded competition to get voters in Afghanistan to the polls. Her music video daring young Afghans to stand up for their country got her a prize money of $1,000. And she sent that money to her mother to make it a point that girls too can earn like a boy.
Now, Sonita has been in the Unites States for about a year. She is happy that she can get a formal education here and make some good music and most importantly lead her life on her own.
