Jay Simpson

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“There is no difference between the Taliban of the 90s and of now. They have the same ideology and perspective… but there is a big difference between women.”

Our Face Tells: Seeing the Genocide of Hazaras in Afghanistan

Looking at the faces of Hazara women, what do you see? Hazaras are an ethnic minority in Afghanistan, identifiable due to their Asian facial characteristics. Visible in Afghan society, their faces were the targets of genocidal killing by the Taliban. But their faces also reveal their resilience and transformation into leaders within their communities and civil society. This short documentary calls for attention to the genocide of the Hazara people and the oppression of Hazara women. Interviews with remarkable Hazara women, including the first female mayor of Afghanistan, provide insight into how Hazara women continue to resist the Taliban and call out for support from the global community.

“On behalf of Afghan girls, particularly Hazara girls, we have a message for the Taliban that we will never be defeated.”

About

In early 2020, I applied for a Community Building grant from the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies to help create a walking group on NYU’s campus with a few other grad school friends.


We met in person only a few times due to COVID-19, but in lieu of in-person meet-ups, we created podcast episodes for members to listen to and then later discuss in online conversations.

I lead the production of our podcast episodes, from pre-interviews to recording and audio editing. Additionally, I ran our website and facilitated many of the virtual meetings. 


And while our journal and final podcast episode were never released, what started as a very small group on campus grew to attract members from other universities and the general public due to our social media and public sharing of our podcast materials. 


Below is a photo shared on our collective instagram.