Tschadari & Buz Kaschi - Afghan Women Today

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Film | Article | Exhibition

Exhibition along with the film, shown in the 'Landesmuseum Volk und Wirtschaft' *
1989 at Dusseldorf, Germany.

Photographs and texts by Elke Jonigkeit, traditional clothing, carpets and handycrafts from Afghanistan.

exhibition

Photographs by Petra Wunderlich.

* This museum is now called: NRW Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft

Article in the newspaper 'Rheinische Post', Dusseldorf, 27 April 1989

'Afghan Women Today' at the Museum of Nation and Economy - artificial terror-documents

From far they seem like traditionally-made carpets from Afghanistan: beautyful-warm tones of red, combined with blue, green and brown, and artistically-made ornaments. But by taking a closer look at the carpets, resulting from the last years,it becomes shocking: helicopter-edgings are decorating one (of them); tanks, planes and handgranads, all skillfully-made, another: afghan women and children have assimilated their cruel experiences of war. The artificial documents of terror are presented in the exhibition "afghan women today" at the museum of nation and economy.

The producer from Düsseldorf, Elke Jonigkeit, wants to present her work of 4 years with afghan women, with this exhibition, " feeling the differences between the ancient, rich culture and the present state of survival". On the occasion of the ending of her documentary film 'Tschadari & Buz Kaschi - afghan women today'.

The exhibition clearifies the act of balance of women between keeping the tradition and renewal. Magnificent dresses, artistic veils, valuable, hand-made supple silver, but also the careful processed sheet metal-jewellery made by refugeewomen, give an impressive insight into traditional skilfulness of the women.

Elke Jonigkeit has brought a part of these exhibition pieces from her afghanistan-trips, the other part comes from the Linden-museum,Stuttgart, from the museum of nationscience,Munich and from private collectors . "Life in a state of war" of afghan women reflects in portrait photographs and interviews, that Elke Jonigkeit has originally taped for her films.The interviews are indeed partly repeated, but the pictures speak for themselves: shots of afghan women, veiled or unveiled, portraits of children, and pictures of combat planes above the cities.

Refugeecampkids have memorized their lifes in drawings: tanks, combat planes and destroyed houses again and again. But also pigeons of peace who are destroying missiles - created in a school in Kabul, probably with "authorized demands".
The songs tell their own story : in sowjet-ruled Kabul the children are singing, that they would die for their fatherland; in the pakistanian camps they say : I sacrifice myself for my faith.

During the exhibition, Elke Jonigkeits's film, Tschadari & Buz Kaschi",will be presented on Wednesday at 6pm and Sunday at 11am. Larger groups can see the film on request. (The exhibition ends on the 17 of May).

Katrin Raith

Tschadari & Buz Kaschi - Afghan Women Today

Film | Article | Exhibition

Exhibition along with the film, shown in the 'Landesmuseum Volk und Wirtschaft' * 1989 at Dusseldorf, Germany.

Article in the newspaper 'Rheinische Post', Dusseldorf, 27 April 1989

'Afghan Women Today' at the Museum of Nation and Economy - artificial terror-documents

Exhibition along with the film, shown in the 'Landesmuseum Volk und Wirtschaft' *
1989 at Dusseldorf, Germany.