7 books and 2 films to help children and young people understand the current situation in Afghanistan

How to tell children and young people what is happening in Afghanistan? Here is a list of books and movies to share as a family.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

How to tell children and young people what is happening in Afghanistan? Here is a list of books and films that we can share as a family to help children and teenagers understand the current situation thanks to beautiful stories that touch delicate situations and topics with strength and truth, but also a lot of poetry and hope.

Since the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul, we hear a lot about the situation in Afghanistan, and inevitably many "why?" they also come to us from children and young people. Although for us too the situation is so uncertain that being able to explain it (and explain it to ourselves) is a difficult operation, we must still try to give an answer. To do this, you need to talk about it with curiosity, confidence and love. But where to start?

Books and films prove to be a great starting point to help them understand the situation a little better. Furthermore, they are very precious tools capable of promoting and giving rise to points of reflection on who we are and on what each of us can do to build a better society. There are several writers who have undertaken to tell the new generations about fear, injustice and pain without neglecting hope, rights and freedom.

Here is a collection of books and films that can help younger people understand the situation in Afghanistan a little better:

Index

Flowers of Kabul by Gabriele Clima (Einaudi Ragazzi, 2021)

7 books and 2 films to help children and young people understand the current situation in Afghanistan

There are many things women cannot do, including cycling. But one day when a foreigner who is crossing Afghanistan on two wheels stops at Maryam's house in Kabul, she thinks of nothing but freedom. She is convinced that things can change and when she is old enough to make her own decisions, she will choose a bicycle as a tool of emancipation. Her will not be a simple journey: she will be an example for men and women, a small silent revolution through Afghanistan, one of the countries with the highest gender discrimination.

Tonight we look at the stars by Alì Ehsani and Francesco Casolo (Feltrinelli, 2017)

Afghanistan, 2003s. One day, in Kabul, Ali returned from school and, instead of the house, he found only rubble. Orphans of parents, for him and for his brother Mohammed there is now nothing in that place, no future and no affection. But "we are like birds and we fly far away," Mohammed tells him, who convinces him to escape. Ali, the child of history is in reality the author who has lived in Rome since XNUMX. For him this book is also a thank you to all those people who helped him during the journey and who in certain situations were his lost family. Without a doubt, a story of courage, determination and optimism.

Zaher's journey by G. Fioretti, F. Grisot, G. Viale, L. Camiletti (La Meridiana, 2021)

This touching book is inspired by the story of Zaher Rezai, the Afghan child who, at the age of 7, embarked on a journey of hope and, arriving in Venice, just eight kilometers from reaching a safe place to seek asylum, lost his life. The pages are the result of an intercultural and inclusive teaching project designed for schools, in fact in the book there is also the precious contribution of the pupils of a fifth grade who have dedicated moving and mature words to Zaher that make hospitality flourish. and give us hope.

Gardener, open the door to the garden;

I'm not a flower thief,

I myself have turned pink

These verses were found on a notebook page of Zaher, his only confidant and traveling companion.

Under the burqa of Deborah Ellis (Rizzoli, 2002) and animated films

This is a graphic novel about the rebellious Parvana, taken from the animated film by Nora Twomey and inspired by the novel by Deborah Ellis. When her father Nurullah is unjustly jailed for being accused of being an "enemy of Islam", Parvana is only 11 years old. Because she is under the Taliban regime, she is not free to wander alone, when her family becomes impoverished, she cuts her hair, takes her deceased brother's clothes and pretends to be a boy to leave the house and look for food. . "When you are a man, you can go wherever you want," says her friend Shauzia. A tale of privations and denied rights, but also of courage and hope.

For those who prefer it, the animated film nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film in 2018, can be seen on Netflix

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Piemme, 2004) and film

This is the moving story of two parents and two children, their friendship and how chance can become an unexpected milestone in our destiny. Obsessed with proving to his father that he is already a man, Amir sets out to win the annual kite competition in any way, even if that means sacrificing his friendship with Hassan. Thus, at the age of only twelve, the young Amir will remember for his whole life those days in which he lost one of the most precious treasures of the human being: friendship. The plot takes place "against the backdrop of an Afghanistan respectful of its rich ancestral traditions" while during the winter of 1975 in Kabul "life unfolds with all the intensity, strength and color of a city confident in its future and unaware of the approaching of some of the bloodiest periods that the millenary peoples who inhabit it have ever experienced ”.

After the runaway success of the best-selling book, Hollywood has made the film adaptation that you can see on Chili.

The Kabul bookseller by Åsne Seierstad (Rizzoli, 2008)

In 2002, when the Taliban withdrew from Afghanistan, the journalist and expert on international conflicts Åsne Seierstad moved to the country's capital to experience the situation of Afghan society in a troubled moment. She stayed in the house of the bookseller Sultan Khan's family, which allowed her to experience the daily life of an Afghan family up close and witness a country after the war that she wants to get up and breathe again. A story of dignity, courage and love for books in one of the most moving testimonies on Afghan society.

Malala's magic pencil by Malala Yousafzai (Garzanti, 2017)

True Malala is Pakistani, yet her struggle gives voice and light on what could happen again to Afghan girls and girls. This book tells her story about her, from when she dreamed of having a magic pencil to change the world and how she managed to make her dreams of her come true, despite not having a pencil.

I am very concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan, especially for the safety of women and girls. I had the opportunity to speak with some activists in Aghanistan, including those for women's rights, and they shared with me their concern about what their life will be like, ”the activist for women's rights winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

All these stories have one thing in common: the search for a different future for themselves and their families, safer and more equitable.

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