Kayhan Irani

January 17, 2013

Art, India, Social Change

Crafting History

Kayhan Irani

January 17, 2013

Art, India, Social Change

Sometimes I wonder if everything I’ve thought of, everything I’m thinking of, has been thought before. Often, it’s in bouts of depression and my conclusion is that I’m probably useless and unoriginal. (Yes, I am being a bit dramatic but that’s me!) These last few months, however, when I reflect on the originality of my being (how embarrassing) I have been grateful for all the thinking that has come before me. Millions of people, doing the best they could, have lived lives and laid the groundwork for me to do what I do. Being immersed in the world of craft, it is starting to make more and more sense that originality isn’t highly prized. It’s nice, but it isn’t the point.

Kayhan Irani

November 24, 2012

Art, Social Change

Experiencing Time

Kayhan Irani

November 24, 2012

Art, Social Change

What is the experience of time? Sun up to sun down; the phases of the moon; an 8-hour workday; the passing of a birthday; the harvest; the sowing; the completion of a thought? The time for group remembering, the communal gatherings and the personal, internal time; we live between the two. My time in India so far has been a weaving between the two forms – personal and collective.

Kayhan Irani

October 12, 2012

Art, Social Change, Theater, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

Aerial Roots

Kayhan Irani

October 12, 2012

Art, Social Change, Theater, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

The famous banyan tree in India has aerial roots. That means small seedlings growing on its branches send down vine-like extensions that upon hitting dirt, take root and anchor the tree. If left unchecked, a single banyan can expand into a maze-like thicket of its own creation. A tree intertwined around another tree, creating shadow trees. I’m living in a similar metaphoric spiral right now. Thoughts shooting straight downward, leading to confusion, leading to pause, leading to insights, leading to growth.

Kayhan Irani

August 26, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre

How to value difference?

Kayhan Irani

August 26, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre

How do I talk about difference without putting a value judgment on it? If one thing is different than another, must one thing be better than the other? How can I value multiple experiences, approaches and perspectives while keeping a sense of self? Must I choose one as better so that I can hold on to something familiar? This project is different than the rest of my work in Afghanistan. I am not working directly with a theater group, I am working with media makers; writers, producers, researchers from Equal Access, Afghanistan. I am training them in methods of participatory storytelling for community engagement and social change

Kayhan Irani

April 25, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

You Can't Have It

Kayhan Irani

April 25, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

Tomorrow is my last day of training. The actors from Khost, Baghlan and Herat are going to perform two short Forum Theater plays for a limited audience of friends and colleagues. At the core of both stories is the question of whose decisions are respected? Who has the power to make a life choice, and who doesn’t.

Kayhan Irani

April 20, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre, Theater

Life Interrupted

Kayhan Irani

April 20, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre, Theater

This week was a long week with lots of prodding and pushing. We were telling stories about oppression, personal experiences of oppression, something simple, clear. I started by asking them to make a frozen body sculpture of one such experience. After the activity, we spoke about what they were showing. It turns out no one made an image of something from their own life! They made images from other people’s lives, images from stories they heard, or things they saw. They were finding it hard to access those personal stories, without compounding them with others.

Kayhan Irani

April 14, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Poetry of Life

Kayhan Irani

April 14, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Through struggle we bring forth the ripened fruit of a changed tomorrow. We never stand still; motionless as life breezes by. We move in the wind. Sometimes with it, Sometimes against it. Ever changing, we remake our reality. This past week I have been changed by the fortitude, brilliance and endless capacity of Afghan artists.

Kayhan Irani

April 11, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater

Working Hard for the Money

Kayhan Irani

April 11, 2012

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater

It’s hard, hard work here in Kabul.

Kayhan Irani

March 28, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre, Women

I’m Full of It

Kayhan Irani

March 28, 2012

Afghanistan, Art, Theatre, Women

Full of JOY! I feel like I’m walking on clouds, slowly climbing higher and higher till I reach my cruising altitude. I am preparing to go back to Kabul for a month of trainings and am thrilled to see my work build on itself. The first two groups I trained are coming back and I will be offering them new cultural tools for community engagement, collective problem solving and local healing. After this advanced workshop, a few members will stay with me to co-facilitate a brand new training with 3 new groups!

Kayhan Irani

March 4, 2012

Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Consumed

Kayhan Irani

March 4, 2012

Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

It’s that time of the year again. Spring is creeping up on us, new shoots are poking up from the ground and festivals of regeneration and re-birth are taking place around the world. In my ancestral part of the world, South and West Asia, the festival of Holi, (celebrated in South Asia) and Norooz (celebrated in West Asia), are coming up this month. Holi is March 8, Norooz is March 20th. Both feature fire, a meditation on righteousness and lots of color.

Kayhan Irani

December 3, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

Back to Basics

Kayhan Irani

December 3, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

Hello Kabul! Hello mountains. Hello kindness. Hello community. Hello learning. Hello growing. Hello change. I feel so full of joy and gratitude to be here and do what I love. It’s been such a busy week and I can’t believe that already I am half way done! I am finding out that being the sole facilitator and workshop coordinator is pretty time consuming but I promise to send more updates.

Kayhan Irani

November 26, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change

Crazy, Desperate? Love.

Kayhan Irani

November 26, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Social Change

Art imitates life, life imitates art … but what’s the deal with pepper spray at WalMart? It’s the theater of the absurd in overdrive. I sit here next to the pot bellied stove in my guest house, calm and distant. I don’t mind the distance from this facet of life. Though I do remember when I was here in late September, I had such longing to be part of the Occupy movement in NYC. Funny how things change.

Kayhan Irani

November 22, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

We’ve Only Just Begun

Kayhan Irani

November 22, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

I’ve been back in NY for two weeks now and am so pleased that I got to see the last of the fall colors. When I arrived, reds, yellows, browns and greens were still bright and shocking. Now, many of the leaves have fallen – and the colors faded. When I left New York in October Zucotti park had just been occupied and the movement, which seemed to appear from nowhere, bloomed and blazed. In the two months between, something important has begun.

Kayhan Irani

November 7, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

Closing Time

Kayhan Irani

November 7, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed, Women

There’s no way around it. I can’t hide, pretend it’s not happening, close my eyes. I have to have to face it -the project has come to an end. Well, my part of it has come to an end and now the young students are tasked with carrying on the work and moving it forward. I have learned a great deal by spending these 6 weeks in Kabul, listening to people, observing life, understanding daily struggles, seeing entrenched attitudes and thinking about all of this in light of how art and culture can be used to educate, build community, and inspire change.

Kayhan Irani

November 4, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theater

Making Waves

Kayhan Irani

November 4, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theater

This last week has been filled with performances for NGOs and community spaces throughout Kabul. We often have 2-3 per day which makes for hectic and fun times. So far we’ve performed at schools, orphanages, for the National Police force, a community center for widows and orphans, the Kabul women’s prison, and in the garden of a women’s rights organization.

Kayhan Irani

October 27, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Not just a Banana

Kayhan Irani

October 27, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Sometimes a banana is just a banana … and sometimes it’s more! For the young men’s theater group, a banana represents the multiple problems in Afghan society. Dealing with the seemingly insignificant task of where to throw the peel leads the main character on a journey through the maze of maze of problems on all levels of Afghan society.

Kayhan Irani

October 20, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

Sisters Are Doing It

Kayhan Irani

October 20, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre, Theater, Theatre of the Oppressed

I’m writing two separate blog posts, one about the young men’s production and process and one about the young women’s. This one is all about the women. Despite being located in the cosmopolitan capital city, it seems that this theater group is the first all women’s group in Kabul. Many of these young women, even though they have studied theater at university, have not performed on the stage for audiences – not even in university productions. Well, here’s their chance! They are talented, smart, passionate, and ready to shout from the rooftops.

Kayhan Irani

October 14, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Theater, Social Change, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

Bigger than Me

Kayhan Irani

October 14, 2011

Afghanistan, Civic Engagement, Art, Theater, Social Change, Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed

I’m tired. Tired, tired, tired. I work 6 days a week with the actors, then spend many more hours at the apartment revising agendas, planning, And trying to connect with local and international NGOs who would be interested in supporting this fledgling theater company when we leave. We go to meetings in the mornings and then go to the university in the afternoons until evening working hard and pushing the students harder. The sky is dark when we leave and Kabul is getting chilly, “sard-e-st” … “it is cold” in Dari.

Kayhan Irani

October 8, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre

Training Days

Kayhan Irani

October 8, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre of the Oppressed, Theatre

Today is Friday, the traditional day of rest. Families spend time together, friends meet, people go out. Today is the end of my second week in Kabul and the end of my first week training the brilliant young actors. Today I also rested, met friends, and ran errands.

Kayhan Irani

October 2, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre

Stupid American

Kayhan Irani

October 2, 2011

Afghanistan, Art, Civic Engagement, Social Change, Theatre

Being raised in a South/West Asian home, in NYC, I have the privilege to be able to see things from different cultural perspectives and to carry with me the knowledges of many people. (I use the plural to reflect that there is no one “knowledge”.) I am blessed to have an extended family of second mothers, sisters and brothers who have shared with me some of Puerto Rican culture, African American culture, LGBTQ culture, Jewish culture and so on. I am grateful to have that information and perspective as a part of my being.