اوج سماع

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Photography and painting took me to Europe and America; Exclusive interview of the week with Najibullah "Mosafer", a prominent Afghan photographer
Nargis Hashimi,Hafteh, January 30, 2022 Week Leave your comment with us

Najibullah Mosafer is one of Afghanistan's most talented and unique photographers and painters who has done a lot of work in the field of art and culture. He has a calm, polite and sincere personality, and these qualities have made him loved and respected. In addition to reflecting the pain of the homeland and portraying the beauties of Afghanistan through his art, Mr. Mosafer has trained hundreds of young photojournalists and founded several photojournalism centers, one of which is the Third Eye Photojournalism Center.

Mr. Mosafer's activities include teaching professional photography at the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Government Media Center, the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University, Bakhtar University, Ibn Sina University, the High School of Knowledge, and the Culture and Civil Society Foundation. Also, the opening of the training course of Bamyan Center, the opening of the photo exhibition of "Third Eye" professors and students in one of the Buddha caves are part of his record. He was involved in the opening of a photo exhibition entitled "A New Afghanistan from the Afghan Perspective" organized by the Swiss Art Link Institute. Mr. Mosafer has been a judge at the Saba TV Photo Festival, the "Night with the Buddha" festival in Bamyan, and also at the Key Group Photo Festival. The photo exhibition of "Ten Young Photographers" at the National Museum, the joint photo exhibition of the white kite in Iran, is another part of his artistic achievements.

In 2000, he assisted the program (Millennial Hunger Belt) on behalf of the WFP and UNHCR, which provides wheat and baby food to affected people. For 6 months, I worked as a photojournalist to cover the problems of the people in Yekeh and Lang, Dara-e-Suf, Lal-e-Sar-e-Jangal and Punjab districts. , Art Magazine, Kabul Weekly, Key Weekly, Morsal Weekly and some other foreign magazines have been published.

Mr.! Thank you for accepting our invitation. We begin with knowledge of you.

Najibullah Mosafer: Greetings and courtesy of the staff of the popular and famous magazine of the week in the beautiful city of Montreal.

Najibullah I am a, photographer and painter who has been living in Canada for six years. I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was born in 1342 AH. I studied at a school in Kabul, and in 1991, after a four-year course, I graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University, with a degree in painting

In 2002-2004, at the invitation of Professor Manouchehr Doghati, a well-known international Iranian and French photojournalist, I joined the Institute of Mirror Photojournalism and studied photojournalism under the supervision of experienced Afghan, American, German, French and Australian professors such as Manouchehr I trained Sean, David, Margaret, Dimitri and Professor Manuel

When did you get into art and how did you get involved in painting

Najibullah Mosafer: I did painting as an amateur in the military and photography in the amateur school. During his military service, in Unit 203, the commando was discovered as the first secretary in two Farashoot launches in the ten green spaces of Kabul; I saw the earth beautifully from above, and the pristine and untouched nature became pleasing to me, and the tranquility of the space, where there was no sound of war or noise pollution, calmed my mind, boosted our interest in photography and painting, and I decided to study professionally. As soon as I finished military service; According to the government, every 12-year-old graduate could be admitted to a university of his choice without taking the entrance exam, regardless of his three-year grades. I also went to the teaching management of the Ministry of Higher Education with my grades and discharge, and I received the selection form from the woman in charge of this department, and while I had the right to choose three faculties, I chose the only faculty of arts. When the lady stared at the form, she laughed and said: "Your grades are very good and the Faculty of Arts has a low score. You can choose a higher faculty." I looked at the artistic face of the lady who had her hair cut like the famous Iranian artist Googoosh and paused: I am very interested in fine arts, especially painting, and I hope to serve my homeland through this. If I study in other fields, I may be weak in practice. He stood up to pay his respects and shook my hand and congratulated me.

I went to university in March of the same year to get the results. Everyone looked anxiously at the list of results so that they would not be ineffective. At that time, the war between Dr. Najib and the Mojahedin was intensifying and the boys who failed the entrance exam had no choice but to join the army. When I looked at the faces, successful people looked happy and fruitless people, especially boys, seemed impressed. I, who had finished my military service and was not so afraid, after a few moments, I found my name in the list of the Faculty of Fine Arts and I was extremely happy.

In the second course, the date of the beginning of the university; I went to the teaching management of the Faculty of Arts and the person in charge asked my father's name and said, "In what field do you study?" When I said in the field of painting. He said that the painting class is department, and the head of the painting department, Master Akbar Salam, came to me after seeing my great interest in this field.complete and I have to choose another field. However, due to my insistence on painting, he introduced me to the head of the painting
What inspires you the most and what is your experience in this field?

Najibullah Mosafer: In my opinion, each field has its own place and each field affects the identity, honor and economy of a country; All disciplines should be appreciated because they are all connected like chains.

People and nature and wildlife; It inspires the creation of our works, and it can be said that the main master is not me, but all the people of God's nature, who with his vastness and greatness has billions of secrets in his heart. What a picture of an international language with a clean, simple language full of pain; The world understands the current of injustice, inequality and oppression for its audience.

Ever since I got to know myself, I have been involved in painting, photography and filming, and I have found this great and magical world of images eloquent, beautiful, painful and impressive, which is extremely useful, and I am like a rock in the middle of the great sea. And learning and experimenting.

Which national and international exhibitions have you participated in?

Najibullah Mosafer: I have participated in hundreds of national exhibitions in the country, such as:

"Millennial Hunger Winter" photo exhibition includes 68 photographs of real life at Ayeneh Press Center, 300 photographs in Bamyan province, 20 photographs at the Culture and Civil Society Foundation Center to review ECO projects as a photojournalist In Kabul, Bamyan, Saighan, Aqcha, Maimana and Kandahar, I took photographs and also held a photography exhibition consisting of 60 photographs at the Culture and Civil Society Foundation Center.

Another joint photography exhibition initiated by the Independent Human Rights Commission; To celebrate the 8th of March, together with the photo journalists of the Mirror Press Center; I held at the Faculty of Fine Arts that the pictures in this exhibition showed the situation of women in Kandahar, Herat, Bamyan, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Khost and Nangarhar provinces.

In 2004, 5 pieces of my photo were exhibited in the Aineh photojournalists under the title of Elections, and in the same year, another 16 pieces were exhibited in the Aineh-Kabul Photo Journalists' Center at the Aineh-Kabul Press Center in different provinces of Afghanistan.

In 2005, on the occasion of September 11, my work with an American photographer; In a two-dimensional form, one of the photos showed the events in Afghanistan and the other on 9/11. It was inaugurated at the Culture and Civil Society Foundation.

Other exhibitions of my photographs include the "Game of Color and Light" at the Center for Culture and Civil Society, the Ministry of Youth Affairs Conference Hall Exhibition, an exhibition of 5 paintings and 40 photographs on International Women's Day in the Key Group office, US Embassy. Kabul Press website, conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, French Cultural Center in Esteghlal High School, Katib University, Ghavam Foundation, Phoenix Military Base, photo exhibition of people's lives and nature with third eye photographers in Esteghlal High School and photo exhibition in Afghanistan House of Culture .

?What about foreign exhibitions

Najibullah Mosafer: 45 photographs displayed in the Dutch capital for 3 months and 36 photographs in 6 sections in the same country for the second time by Robert, photo exhibition by Afghan photographers in Denmark, 35 photographs by the Culture and Civil Society Foundation In Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the occasion of Cultural Week, in 2009 my photography exhibition and the founders of the third eye with Afghan and foreign photographers in the South Korean capital, an exhibition of my photographs by Afghan photographers in Sweden and a photo exhibition at the (semi-hidden) festival in Iran.

But in 1390, an independent exhibition of my photographs was exhibited by Farhad Bayani, the country's most successful journalist, at a Dubai university for a week. Also in 2016, in Belfil, Toronto, I projected 33 of my photographs through a projector to more than a dozen Canadian viewers and answered spectator questions, and also at a painting and photography exhibition on the occasion of World Art Day in Langley, Vancouver, at the Center for Asian Studies. I also attended UBC Vancouver.

?Have your photos ever been promoted

Najibullah Mosafer: Yes, for example, in 2005, after participating in one of the competitions of the International Photography Council, my photos were awarded first place in the section of education, democracy and peace. First, (business) and (my city) took second place. Also, my photos were awarded a special place by the ECO organization in the photo festival of Nowruz. In 1392, in the British Embassy photography competition, my photo won second place

?How did you come to Canada and did you manage to show photos and continue your artistic activities here or not

Najibullah Mosafer: I entered Canada in 2015 and the reason I came was to participate in the Film Festival. A documentary called (form by form) or frame by frame, made by two American women from four Afghan photojournalists: Farzaneh Vahedi, Vakil Kuhsar, Massoud Hosseini and me, and this film was ready for international festivals in 2015

In the same year, I was invited to the Canadian Film Festival and received three more invitations from the American Film Centers. When the movie ended, my daughter, who lived in Toronto, invited me and I went to Canada at my daughter's invitation

Because language is important here and I did not learn the language properly, I could not continue my education, but I was able to exhibit my photographs in Vancouver and Langley, British Columbia, as well as in Belfill, Toronto, and continue to enjoy Canada's beautiful nature and

Cultural people take pictures. I plan to have a photo exhibition in other Canadian cities in the future

And I have to remind you that what drew me to Europe and America was the camera, the paintbrush and the cameraman with which I created the work and lovingly respected the tools at hand and acted responsibly towards the community

?How did you portray your feelings about the plight of Afghanistan

Najibullah Passenger: Afghanistan full of mines; It has been hurting our noble people for more than a hundred years by its illegitimate sons and foreign mercenaries and the handmaidens of its exploitative superpowers, depicting bereaved families and portraying the country as a violent figure for people around the world who are unaware of politics

Those with political awareness; He knows that the destruction of Afghanistan is in the hands of external superpowers. All this smoke and gunpowder and explosion and suicide shakes every human being with emotion and there is no doubt that its negative effect on my mind and psyche is also current

Our Afghanistan needs empathy and brotherhood. No ethnic group is superior to another ethnic group, and as long as there is no unity and tolerance among the people of Afghanistan; Afghanistan will not see peace and prosperity. Although the seeds of hatred have been sown by the exploiters among the tribes of Afghanistan, the way to save them is to reach out to the new generation and the conscious youth.

God willing, Afghanistan will one day breathe new life and this darkness will become a light

?How comfortable are you in the immigration environment

Najibullah Mosafer: The homeland is the mother and the mother is honorable and respected, I love the mother of the homeland infinitely and with my soul and psyche and with a world, the bitter memories of the homeland; I live here. I am happy with my compatriots and sad with their suffering. I owe the establishment of these connections to cyberspace. I breathe in Canada's environment and I love Canada because Canada respects man and humanity and its citizens and its powerful and its politicians and racism fades and colors slowly blend into one color!

I have not seen anyone here who looks at me violently. From the police to ordinary people, the light does not interfere with the recording of historical moments with the camera. Canada is precious to me and the honorable people of Canada are respected. Canada is for us the spiritual mother I love and serve through my profession.

On the other hand, participating in some cultural, literary and religious circles of our compatriots in the world of immigration reduces the pain of being away from home, and watching national and patriotic programs on TV with poems by popular poets and singers caresses my mind and historians. I watch Afghans living in Toronto writing and analyzing history in a non-partisan, non-partisan way, and in some ceremonies I see these great men of history and writers. Although the corona has reduced the crowds, I hope that one day the corona will be eradicated and the same vibrancy of the past will return

?There is no Afghan without the worries of his family and relatives, who are you worried about

Najibullah Mosafer: For the tears of every mother who has painful eyes due to the loss of her child; We take, every young man of my homeland whose heart is a sign of ammunition, my heart is torn, and every girl and boy of my homeland who is detached from the tension, my head is also detached, and every slap on the youth of my homeland with the dirty hands of foreign mercenaries. I feel humiliated, if someone dies of starvation I feel my parents and daughter and son die

Although my brothers, sisters, relatives and friends are in a difficult situation in Kabul, I am as troubled as any of my compatriots

Dear Najibullah, "Masafer", thank you very much

.Najibullah Mosafer: I also thank the staff of the weekly magazine and also thank the fans of Hafteh  who read my words patiently