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SAMANGAN (SW): A number of festivals and concerts have been canceled after clergymen opposed the programs in Samangan province.
The photography and painting exhibition, student creativity competition, women’s bicycling competition and Samangan’s Rustam, and poetry nights along with concerts by Sita Qasimi, Waheed Qasimi and Sharif Sahil and Thursday with Maftoon have all been cancelled due to outright opposition by the clergymen and Khadija Hassani, the provincial director of women’s affairs. The festivals were to start on Wednesday as part of educational and cultural programs.
Sami Hamid, a poet and one of the organizers of the festivals, said that his cultural and musical organization along with several civil society organizations and the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) had been working to organize the Samangan festivals for months. He added that the provincial authorities helped us all along through the preparations, but last minute decision by Khadija Hassani, the provincial director of women’s affairs encouraged by the clergymen, canceled the festivals.
Sami Hamid further added the organizers were informed about insurgents attack plan during the festivals by GIZ and later the same was confirmed by governor’s office.
Wafiullah Shahrukhi, a civil society activist in Samangan, said that before the commencement of the programs and concerts rumors of large participation of women and singing and dancing were circulating among the locals which resulted in the backlash by the clergymen and strong support of the provincial director of women’s affairs.
But Khadija Hassani, the provincial director of women’s affairs, said that she is totally unaware of the developments. The provincial director of women’s affairs told Salam Watandar that the real reason behind the cancellation of the festival and concerts is the lack of coordination between the organizers and the provincial directorate of women’s affairs. She also said that the provincial religious council is opposing the programs, but had she been aware of the programs she could have negotiated with the clergymen.
Samangan is one of the remote provinces situated between Balkh and Baghlan in the north of the country.
ENDS
