In Her Hands: un destin afghan

She was only 26 when she became a mayor in a country where once women would not dare walk alone on the streets. Her work was considered as blasphemous by many in her country. She was the mayor of Maidan Wardak, a town in Afghanistan surrounded by the Taliban territory. The youngest woman mayor in a country where for many decades women had been deprived of their basic rights. And then comes the 15 Aug, 2022 and she witnesses once again the darkness that she had known as a child slowly engulfs her beloved country. The grim reality returns. The fall of Kabul.

A great subject but documentary fails to capture the essence of it. It is a blurb as it leaves its viewers dig in further themselves to find more. A hands-on heuristic. Zaria Ghafari shown as a gutsy woman leader in the starting of the documentary surfaces as a frightened, weak deserter. While documentary deftly portrays the life in a war torn country amidst incessant fear and instability with a flawless flow, it fails to advance beyond the preface. Executive producers Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

At 26 Zarifa Ghafari was the youngest female mayor in Afghanistan. "Men had their chance for 50 years," she says "and what did they achieve? Nothing!" This riveting and extensive documentary follows Zarifa for two years up to and including the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. With snow-capped mountains in the distance, her bodyguard with one hand on a steering wheel and the other on a rifle, the city lights of Kabul at night, and in the shadow of a gigantic ferris wheel, Zarifa is talkative, active, and buoyant even as she faces ceaseless turmoil and threats of harm to herself and her family.

In Her Hands is an emotional roller coaster that delves into seriously disturbing territory at times. Dead and maimed little girls in school are shown, the victims of an intentional Taliban attack, and a woman being forced to her knees in the center of a full stadium and executed for show. "We will witness these horrors again," says Zarifa. There are moments of happiness as well as horror, including a picture of Zarifa smiling and resting her head on her dad's shoulder.

One reason that In Her Hands is so fascinating is that it covers real and interesting people who shed light on why Afghanistan is such a disaster. "Politicians begged for money from the world," said Zarifa "and they put it in their own pockets." People support the Taliban because of these corrupt and greedy people who, like the Taliban, misled Afghans.

Massoum, Zarifa's bodyguard, and Musafer, a commander in the Taliban, are featured in the film along with Zarifa. "I will kill people until they believe," says Musafer. He seems nice.

Zarifa was present at this Toronto International Film Festival screening. She was every bit as captivating and energizing in person as she was in the film. She wrote a new book that will be released soon. "Speak up for the girls of Afghanistan" she urged the audience, "and keep those left behind in your hearts."

In a country like Afghanistan with conservative people mind about the Women, Zarifa did a Bravery to stand against patriarchy and did a lot for Women of her country. Every Afghan should be proud of her, otherwise loosing such women is painful and later they will regret. If Afghan people support people like Zarifa, there will be no matter to stop any kind of improvement in Afghanistan. When she says that put the guns down and get a pen, it means that she thinks like King Amanullah Khan and she care about Afghan Women and men education and that's the only way the country will improve.

Many regards for Zarifa and her companions.

What can you possibly say about a country governed by religious zealots who lied and continue to lie to their own people? "We will let girls go to school. We will return women their rights!" Lies! They have killed and jailed women who protest against them. The Taliban are small minded weak men who think religion is more important than humanity. They have no humanity.

Zarifa Ghafari at 26 was mayor of a city outside of Kabul in such a climate. The Taliban called her immoral because she dared to help her fellow citizens both male and female. She paid a huge price, the Taliban assassinated her father. Her driver is also featured, Massoum, a courageous and thoughtful man, the father of a baby daughter. He wants change. He is devoted to Zarifa and is disappointed when she gives up her job as mayor and is unable to keep him as a driver. The State Department has rigid rules. He is unemployed, despondent but not so desperate that he joins the Taliban.

When the US troops finally evacuate, Zarifa and most of her family are able to leave and become refugees of Germany. I can't blame her for leaving. It is a desperate situation. As her driver had declared, the Afghan government begged other countries for money and put it in their pockets!" Greed is a tragedy that has caused much suffering. Afghanistan is a hell. Still to my utter amazement Zarifa goes back to set up a school and try and educate those who will listen that education is the only way out. She thinks a woman president is the answer. Perhaps in time she will be that woman.

Afghanistan in the 1970s before the coup and religious fanaticism was a much more peaceful if poor society, and women had more freedom and opportunities than they do now, albeit by the standards of the 70s. This documentary about the youngest mayor of the capital of a small province in Afghanistan gives us a hint of what could have been.

Zarifa Ghafari was appointed major of Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak Province in central Afghanistan, next to Kabul, by then-President Ashraf Ghani. She wasn't the first female mayor, but she did earn her appointment and she did try to serve the city well. Unfortunately, Wardak is very conservative and so she had to do her job from the relative safety of nearby Kabul.

The Good: We get to see both the private and public life of Zarifa Ghafari - anyway as much as could culturally be allowed. The tender moments between her and her supportive fiance are particularly poignant. So too were the conflicts between her and her father, such as about having her then-fiance visit her before marriage. These show her to be the kind of leadership Afghanistan needs.

The Bad: There are some factual errors in the documentary which could have easily been corrected. So it's strange that the film-makers left them in there. Also, the use of dramatic music simply doesn't fit the tone of a serious documentary. And finally, there are some scenes that look more like a political campaign or propaganda, giving fodder to her critics.

I don't know if this documentary is good for Zarifa Ghafari or not. But I believe it is good for the rest of the world to see that Afghanistan is not 100% some backward country or society. There are good people there trying to make their home a better place, at great risk and cost to themselves and their loved ones. Afghanistan is a beautiful country, and it deserves better.