Streets of Afghanistan Launches

On my first visit to Kabul I met up with the Afghan photographers of AINA Photo Agency.  It was my hope that we could create a collaborative photography exhibit featuring top Western conflict photographers alongside emerging Afghan photojournalists.   We met with all the photographers and looked at their top ten best.  There were a handful of talented photographers with unique viewpoints into their own country.

I was determined to find a way to showcase Afghanistan from a variety of perspectives in order to break stereotypes, tell stories, and connect cultures.   Finding Afghan photographers working to create a living out of their craft in a country that has few outlets for photography, made me acutely aware of the importance of creating an outlet that would give them a voice.   I knew that I wanted to use powerful and stirring images to provoke discussion and use that as a launching off point to share the vision and mission of Mountain 2 Mountain in Afghanistan.  We are working in a country that does not allow for much face to face cultural exchange.

Upon my return, I realized that the hard part was raising sponsorship money for the exhibit.   And how to connect the gallery exhibit to our fundraisers in a format that would involve the participants.

I focused on projects and programs in Afghanistan, fundraising, and the overall organization of our non profit.  Then, a little over a year later, a generous angel sponsor from Colorado Springs feel into our laps, interested in giving breath to the exhibition so that we could take photography beyond galleries and tie it closer to our ethos of connecting communities of cultures.

Streets of Afghanistan is a collaborative multimedia exhibition, combing large format photography, video projection, music, and humans themselves, to create a wholly unique and innovative photography experience.  Unlike anything done before in the non profit realm, Mountain 2 Mountain will launch this exhibition with a sneak peek in Denver on April 22 at Suite 200 in downtown Denver, Colorado.

Seven foot high banners will re-create Kabul’s city streets and Afghan rural roads to create walkways that visitors can ‘walk through’.  Interspersed throughout are both still and video portraits that introduce female teachers, members of parliament, doctors, streetchildren, prisoners, and students as living, breathing individuals, each with a unique story of life in Afghanistan for women. Additional 10 foot by 6 foot images preside as larger than life photography.

Audio speakers play recorded sounds down the ‘streets’ and women dressed in burqas wander aimlessly throughout the crowds.  Hundreds of Afghan kites creates canopies of color and symbolize the hope of the Afghan people.

All of this creates the experience for an educational, interactive, and immersion style fundraising event that connects our supporters, donors, and community members closer than ever possible to our projects and communities in Afghanistan.

Our unique collection of Western and Afghan photographers includes; Seamus Murphy, a VII photographer, is arguably one of the top photographers of Afghanistan in the world.  Travis Beard is a conflict photographer having lived and worked in Afghanistan since 2001.  Beth Wald shoots for National Geographic and has spent extensive time in remote regions of Afghanistan with nomadic tribes.  Tony Di Zinno is an international sports photographer and adjunct professor at the prestigious Art Center College of Design.   Five Afghan photographers represent their country burgeoning talent behind the lens, Wakil Kohsar, Mariam Alimi, Gulbulddin, Najibullah Mustafer, and Farzana Wahidy.

Mountain Culture Continues to Support M2M

Mountain 2 Mountain was founded on mountain sport and culture.  Literally the organization was founded with the idea of creating a trail race in the mountains of Breckenridge as a fundraiser three years ago. Overnight that idea blossomed into a full blown non profit working in the mountains of Central Asia.   Yet the idea of mountain sport and culture remains as a way to tap into the energy mountain folk have and use that energy to fundraise.  Specifically harness the energy of climbers, bikers, runners, and skiers to help support our projects in Afghanistan.

This year alone, Mountain 2 Mountain started a mountain biking team, Team M2M, in which members raised money for projects and rode in the team jersey at races to spread awareness.  We hosted the 2nd annual Race for the Mountains trail race here in Breckenridge, raising enough money to sponsor a computer lab.  Mountain 2 Mountain was also recipient of both the Breck 100 bike race, and the 2nd annual Climb for Literacy.   Thane Wright, director of the Breck 100 generously donated $1000 by pledging a percentage of race entries to our cause.  Ellen Miller and Larry Moore of Vail, Colorado co-created the Climb for Literacy last year to support literacy and education non profits like ours through the energy of competitive climbers.  Climbers got sponsors to pledge a certain amount per vertical foot and then climbed their butts off on the Vail Athletic Club’s indoor climbing wall in a series of sponsored days of climbing with the Vail climbing coaches and supporters cheering them on, raising serious cash for great causes in education like ours.  We hope to take their model and apply it in other climbing communities!

Word spreads beyond the mountains, and its not just mountain lovers that now support our efforts.  Road bikers in New Jersey are sponsoring a ride to support education in Afghanistan.  After discovering that the Taliban had banned all sports, including kiteflying, when they were in power, two girls in North Dakota decide to rally their elementary school to build their own Afghan kites.  They are using the project to help fundraise for building a school with us.  Word spread to another school in New York City and a 4th grade class is set to do the same thing in an effort to sponsor a computer lab.

Photography has also been part of our cultural exchange and ethos from the beginning.  We started with using photography as a backdrop as an author event with Greg Mortenson with photographer, Beth Wald who had travelled with Greg in Afghanistan.  That evolved into our first collaborative photography exhibit, Views of the Himalaya, that stood on its own as a gallery exhibit.  This past year we created an entirely new exhibit with Dreams of Kabul, a photography exhibit based soley on the work of Tony Di Zinno who travelled with founder, Shannon Galpin, on her first visit to Afghanistan.  This exhibit combines the experience of an art show with the purpose of a fundraiser.  Combining culture and outreach in the form of storytelling to connect our communities across the world.

While much of our fundraising comes the old fashioned way with fundraisers, grants, and the generosity of the public at large….its fun and exciting to see individuals and communities do what they love in an effort to support our projects.  So to those of you using your creativity and your muscle power to find unique ways to raise money and awareness for our efforts – we thank you!!

Ghosts of Kabul

Throughout the muted neutral shades of Afghanistan, bluebirds float along the streets.  They move through the crowds unnoticed despite their piercing pale blue color.  Unnoticed but impossible to miss.  They are the burqa clad ghosts of Kabul.   It seems amazing that these women wear a garment meant to make them invisible in such a vibrant shade that so obviously contrasts the bland environment.

You see them on buses and in cars.  They are dotted throughout the markets.  You see them by the side of the road often begging with their chidren, faceless with hands outstretched for food or money. Its a stereotypical view of Afghanistan, the mantel of women’s oppression during the Taliban.  Yet, despite the freedom to shed these garments now that the Taliban is not in power, some women throughout this country continue to wear them.

You are not allowed to photograph these women, or women in general, without permission.  Yet how could a photograph resist the temptation that these bluebirds create with every passing?  My photographer on this trip parallels these perriwinkle ghosts in an interesting dance I’ve witnessed throughout this trip.  Already we have a growing stockpile of these images, taken without notice, the ghost capturing the ghosts.

Tony dresses in the neutrals of the city, and with his beard starting to fill in, his new black and white checked kaffir scarf, he is blending into the city the longer we are here, despite his large stature.  He carries his camera unobtrusively behind his back, shooting those he is walking away from, or holds it at his hip while looking across the street.  “Shooting from the hip”, you might say.  In the car, its an ebb and flow of the camera coming out of his lap to shoot and returning to its resting place, unseen.   The camera may point out the front window but really he’s aiming for the rear view mirror and capturing the bluebirds beside the car.  Forbidden images captured without anyone being any the wiser.

I am taking in the city the same as him, yet not the same.  Despite my headscarf and head to toe black, I tend to draw a crowd of on-lookers wherever we go, being blond and taller than many of the men here.  I am noticed and that skews my view imperceptibly.  Meanwhile, Tony seeps into the background and is able to capture images of the women, children, even the police that roam the streets hanging out of the backs of jeeps.  He is the one carrying the massive camera and shoulder bag and no one bats an eye.  Pow wows in the back of the car while we are driving show me faces I didn’t see, scenes I missed.

As the unseen ghosts float around Kabul, this week they are joined by one more, a slightly larger, hairier version blending into their midst.

photo by Di Zinno

Visions of Kabul

On Monday we leave for Kabul.  The first trip to Afghanistan and the first trip on behalf of Mountain to Mountain.

Our primary focus is to meet with the staff with AINA and the Afghan photojournalists that are represented by the AINA Photo Agency.  AINA’s focus is on empowering media and communication.  Through filmmaking, photography, radio, journalism, and design, AINA trains, produces, and empowers individuals and communities to speak out and make sustainable changes within Afghanistan.

Mountain to Mountain has created a photography exhibit, Views of Afghanistan, with the help of some of the world’s top war photographers.  This show will showcase several Afghan photographers alongside Western photojournalists with a long history of working inside Afghanistan.   Proceeds from the show will go to benefit AINA to create a sustainable and profitable agency that continues to empower, train, and provide outlets for Afghan photojournalism and media.

Our second tier focus is meetings with other NGO’s; Turquoise Mountain, Afghans for Tomorrow, Be Peace, and develop a better understanding of how local NGO’s are working in the current climate throughout Afghanistan.  Our focus with Mountain to Mountain has been with sustainable girls education in remote mountain communities and we’d like to see where we can continue this work in Afghanistan in years to come.

Our third tier is more cultural than non profit.  We are taking in a game of buzkashi (a cross of horse polo and rugby), meeting with a master kite maker, and also with a burqa maker.  We are meeting with artisans and architects with Turquoise Mountain.  All with the desire to illustrate stories of traditional Afghan sports and culture that is thriving in the post-Taliban era that we can pitch to different media outlets outside of Afghanistan, in the hope of shining a light on the people and stories that are often shelved in lieu of war and terrorism stories.

It all comes around to the focus of Mountain to Mountain’s outreach at home: storytelling.  Through traditional storytelling, photography, poetry, education, and multimedia, we want to break stereotypes and bring our projects to life, with the goal of garnering more support and donations for our projects.

Dari is the most common language in Kabul and I have been practicing my pronunciation with an ex-Peace Corps friend who worked in Afghanistan in the sixties.  It feels quite natural and I am enjoying the process much more than I have when I learned French and German.  So I am feeling confident in my pigeon-Dari and hope to practice more with our translator, Najibullah.  I am hoping to go to a few areas of the city where only women are allowed and will not be allowed in with my male translator.

After all the planning, its hard to believe we are going to be in the air while our own country is casting its vote for our new president.   I am anxious to see how the result is received in Afghanistan firsthand, fingers crossed that it is received positively.

Many thanks for all of the support and good wishes and please stay tuned for daily blogs from Kabul starting November 5th.

Shannon

Inshallah

It’s official.

Myself and photographer, Tony Di Zinno, are heading to Kabul in a little less than a month.  The trip is whirlwind two week trip of discovery to keep the momentum of Mountain to Mountain moving forward while discovering how individuals, communities, and NGO’s are working with the war torn region of Afghanistan…one of the countries that I want to focus on with Mountain to Mountain .

The biggest obstacle to any of this is money.  Ironic that I envisioned that the hard part would be getting the work done, the stories told, and empowering communities to create sustainable change from within….and yet really, its raising the money.   The stories are there, waiting to be told. The people have creative and direct solutions.  The communities are ready to work together.   Cold hard cash is the missing link.  The old adage, “you have to spend money to make money”, is never truer than in the non profit world.  A lesson best early discovered.

Yet, despite the lack of cash, immunizations are injected and swallowed, visas requested, ‘conservative’ clothes bought, translators booked (and vetted) and plane tickets purchased with a deep breath.

AINA is a key part of the decision to go to Kabul now, rather than waiting.  Founded in 2002 by Reza Deghati, AINA struggles for developing a civil society in Afghanistan by empowering media and communication.  Through filmmaking, photography, radio, journalism, and design, AINA trains, produces, and empowers individuals and communities to speak out and make sustainable changes within Afghanistan.

For decades, the people of Afghanistan have endured war and chaos. In 1996, the Taliban gained complete control and placed the Afghani people under Sharia Law.  Citizens were forbidden to participate in a free press, and it was considered a crime to take or even possess photographs. Truth and communication were suppressed.

After the Taliban were pushed out of power in 2002, AINA, Afghanistan’s Independent Media and Culture Center was established. This foundation was born out of the desire to develop photojournalism from within Afghanistan and to find outlets to allow the truth to be heard.

It is our desire with Mountain to Mountain to tie AINA into the Views of the Afghanistan photography exhibit next year by not only including images of local photojournalists, but having the travelling exhibit directly benefit AINA to move forward.

While in Kabul, we will also be meeting with Turquoise Mountain. Founded by author and ‘crazy Scotsman’, Rory Stewart (Places In Between, Prince of Marshes), Turquoise Mountain focuses on the preservation of Afghan culture, architecture, and heritage. Rory Stewart is an extremely knowledgeable source of Afghanistan culture and politics. His view of the current situation politically, militarily, and culturally has been touted in Time Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, New York Times, and others as a voice of reason and in depth understanding of this complicated region.

Other interviews and meetings are scheduled, feelers extended to all contact and friends with Afghan experience, and debates over whether to focus on Dari, Farsi, or Urdu in the upcoming weeks have gone back and forth with final word being – Dari.

Our plan is to leave in early November and our goal will be to blog daily so as to illuminate the country and its people, and share our stories and discoveries, as we lay the groundwork for Mountain to Mountain’s, and Afghanistan’s, next steps.

Inshallah

To Go or Not to Go…THAT is the question.

Two weeks have passed since the news of the IRC aid workers being attacked outside of Kabul.  Since then, there have been two more attacks on aid workers, and the news that the US has killed 76 civilians, mostly children in a bombing.

I have been making plans to go to Kabul with a photographer and friend, Tony Di Zinno this October.  One of the main purposes of going is to meet with several Afghan NGO’s to learn firsthand what is needed for the women and children of this war torn country.  There is an amazing and diverse array of NGO’s – those on the ground talk of the lack of control over the mushrooming of organizations and individuals tripping over themselves wanting to help.  We need to have discussions with these organizations and work to find the projects that are most needed and can be accomplished in their current political climate.

One of our meetings is with author, humanitarian, and adventurist, Rory Stewart.  His organization, Turquoise Mountain is dedicated to rebuilding and preserving the historical and cultural fabric of Afghanistan.  Their work ensures that the Afghan culture and traditional art is not lost entirely through the decades of war and occupation.  They have offered help in finding a location in Kabul to host the ‘Views of Afghanistan’ exhibit.

Another meeting is with CU Boulder professor, Wahid Omar and his wife Soraya Omar.  Both are Afghan and are living in Kabul.  We will be staying at their guesthouse while in Kabul and meeting with them regarding their NGO, Afghans 4 Tomorrow.

Additionally, while we are in Kabul, we are hoping to develop our photography exhibit for 2009.  ‘Views of Afghanistan’ unites Western and Afghan photojournalists in a collaborative show to show the many faces of this war torn country, beyond the war and burquas.  I am looking forward to meeting many of the Afghan photographers we are including in this show who are based in Kabul.  We are pursuing the possibility of a student photography project with a group of boys and girls.  Our goal is to take 20 cameras over and work to create a project with a local photojournalist that shows Kabul from the eyes of the youth culture while empowering these children to tell their stories from their own perspective through a new medium.   Some of these photographs would be included in the upcoming exhibit.

While typically the biggest obstacle is the money involved to make a trip like this, in this case, its safety.  As numerous friends forward me New York Times articles highlighting the increase in violence within the country, the question to go is heavily pondered and increasingly dissected.   What is the risk, and what is the benefit of going?  I have a young daughter and that weighs heavily on my decision.  While I don’t put my life in great risk often, my risk/benefit ratio was different pre-Devon than post.

Yet, for the moment, all systems are go.  We are operating as if we will make this trip (funding is still at issue) with the knowledge that things may ‘blow up’ – pardon the pun – and we’ll have reschedule.  Yet, the gut instinct is to go there, find the stories, make the pictures, and meet the people of this incredible country.

As Buddha once said, “Your goal in life is to find your work, and give your whole heart to it.”  And so we go to find that work, and inspire those who support Mountain to Mountain to help us affect positive change in the hearts and minds of these resilient people.

Views of the Himalaya – A Curator’s First Steps

Upon entering the vast unknown of the non profit world – I quickly realized how I wanted to do things differently.  I didn’t want to just raise money, I wanted to tell stories and connect communities together.   I didn’t want someone to just donate money and forget about it.  Or worse, not really understand where their money was going.  I wanted to them to care about the communities we were raising money for.  To care what happened to people on the other side of the world.  To understand that while they have a different face, language, culture, and religion – they want the same things for their children that we do here at home.

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

I chose photography to be the medium to create the story around our year two partner, the dZi Foundation.  Unwittingly, casting myself in the role of curator-in-training.

In four short, fast, months I enlisted the help of a local photographer and documentary filmmaker to help me reach out to photographers I wanted in the show and to develop a critical opinion of the pieces we found that seemed appropriate.  We set a high bar for the quality of the show, never considering that we wouldn’t get the artists we searched out.

Lessons learned:

1.  Photographers live hectic lives, are hard to pin down, and are asked a lot to donate work for shows or good causes.  Keep it simple and inexpensive for them to be involved.

2.  At the same time, almost every photographer saw the value of what we doing and wanted to be part of creating the story of this diverse and colorful region.

3.  Producing a show is expensive!

4.  Traveling show is even more expensive.  I shipped ‘Views’ out to Los Angeles for its second gallery show.  A month later, I flew out myself one way, rented a car, and drove the show back to Colorado for a third of the shipping cost.

5.  Trust your gut.  And your eye.   I knew immediately what I liked or didn’t like even if I didn’t have the words yet to express why.  90% my initial reaction was the right one.

6.  Find artists you trust and ask their opinions to help hone your eye,  create your verbage, debate your decisions, and develop your overall view of the show as a cohesive story.

7.  You can publish your own exhibit book.  Blurb.com rocks!   No design fees, no minimum orders, and you get a ISBN number and link so that people can view and buy your book online!

8.  Many galleries book a year out and many have submission guidelines and dates.  If galleries are booked, get creative.  We have shown the ‘Views’ show in a variety of venues.  The American Mountaineering Museum, as the first show at a new gallery in LA, and a movie theater with a formal gallery attached to its lobby.

9.  .  Don’t forget the purpose of the show beyond storytelling is fundraising.

The unexpected lesson is that the ‘Views’ show connected me intimately with people that had only been on my periphery.   We ran in different circles, some in different cities, our busy lives preventing any real connection.  They are deep and talented individuals that gracefully allowed me to be ignorant, helped me develop my ‘curator’s eye’, shared their experiences, and gave me their enduring support.

I’m so grateful for that blissful twist!