Growing up in a country that has been in the constant grips of conflict, Omaid has been a beacon of hope for millions of young Afghans. His unique form of art-activism has enabled Afghans to talk about subjects that are taboo by painting large murals on the blast walls of Kabul and Afghanistan. With the current Taliban government, Omaid and his team have had to flee Afghanistan, however their heart remains in Kabul and are certain that they will return. In the fifth episode of Samavāya, he talks to Savera about the importance of books and imagination that allow millions of young Afghans to imagine a life full of peace and harmony.

The history and heritage of Afghanistan referred by Omaid can be found at the Kabul Museum (National Museum of Afghanistan)

ArtLords was established in 2014 by Omaid Sharifi and the ArtLords team paints murals on Kabul’s gray blast walls. Kabir Mokamel is the co-founder of ArtLords and the team has seventeen artivists who travel across Afghanistan and paint murals on the blast walls.

ArtLords had a dedicated campaign against corruption in Afghanistan. The purpose of the campaign was to increase awareness about the corruption in Afghanistan and how people should find ways to speak up against corruption.

Omaid often refers to the Taliban as ‘Talib’ in the podcast which is the singular version of Taliban and is often used to describe Taliban cardres.

Follow Omaid Sharifi on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Know more about ArtLords and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. To support the work of ArtLords, you can check out their merchandise at their virtual shop. If you would like to support the cause of ArtLords, you can donate here.

This podcast is hosted by Savera Weerasinghe

Edited and Engineered by Nakul Agarwal

Intro & Outro Music: Sirfula Siraima by Nepathya

Interlude Music: Yani Maya by Nepathya

Know more about Nepathya

Samavāya is produced by Asia Society New York and Asia Society India Centre.