ANIM Champions Women’s Rights on International Women’s Day

Last Wednesday, on International Women’s Day, the students and faculty of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music spoke truth to power from their new home in Portugal, sharing a short film that features a choral and orchestral performance of “A Woman’s Battle Cry (Shoulder to Shoulder).” The song comes from an anonymous video in which two Afghan women call for people to fight for women’s rights, published days after the 2022 Taliban decree forbidding women to work. As human rights in Afghanistan continue to erode, including a ban on music and music education, ANIM’s artistic response is essential and unflinching. The song’s powerful lyrics contain a sustaining and hopeful message for Afghan women: “Still your light persists, hidden by the darkness of this moment.” (Read more about ANIM’s incredible work on our site.)