Teressa Rerras: Photo Documentary of the Women in Afghanistan

WKU Women's Studies Program Student Projects and Activism

Excerpts from WS student Teressa Rerras's Journal to Dr. Kristi Branham, Instructor

International Women's Day--Kabul

March 3, 2008

Dr. Branham,

Just wanted to check in with you and let you know I didn't fall off the end of the earth. Currently I'm in Dubai and will leave for Kabul on the morning of March 5th. The jet-lag gets so bad that I have learned to stay here for two days so that I am not exhausted when I arrive in Kabul.

When I arrive in Kabul on the 5th I will begin contacting the women that will be granting me interviews. I will also be attempting to connect with the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

Last week was a bit hectic. Several unplanned happenings along the way. Trying to pack all this equipment was a bit of a nightmare.

My hope is to be able to communicate with you on a regular basis while in Afghanistan. On the 9th or 10th of March I will be going to Herat. For some reason, Herat seems to be much more oppressive than Kabul. It will be interesting to see if things have changed.

I am really excited about this documentary. There are frequent power outages in Afghanistan but I hope to be able to give you updates every several days. This way if something comes up that you think I need to change or elaborate on I will be able to get your feedback.

Thanking you,

Teressa

March 6, 2008

I'm in Kabul now. The security situation is pretty high with the upcoming Intern'l Women's Day. Slowly I'm making contacts and communication with women. Today I have received special passes to the upcoming events. Security is tight so it was important for me to get access.

The thing that caught my eye this morning were the number of women I saw sitting in the middle of muddy streets with their children begging. It is ironic that this was taking place outside the women's loya jerga sp (?)

This is the first time I have been able to access the internet.

Will keep in touch. Trying to get right and slight right so I can be on the ball.

March 8, 2008

Please feel free to post any messages I have sent you. Sorry that I have not been able to communicate. Things went smoothly on International Women's Day and I was able to photograph the President of Afghanistan.

The event was held at a local high school in Kabul, Afghanistan. It appeared to me that most of the women attending were the privileged and more affluent women. I was able to talk my way into bringing a young Afghan girl with me to be my translator and assistant. When I was photographing, another male journalist pulled her aside and told her that this was a job only for men and that she could not be a journalist. Ironic that this happened on International Women's Day.

Midway through the president's speech he advised all the journalists to turn off their recorders and cameras. After security came through to double check my equipment was turned off, President Karzai also announced that the no one was allowed to take any notes. I could not even hold a pen in my hand. I had my translator whisper in my ear what he was saying. He went on to tell the story of a nine-year-old girl who was sold into marriage for the equivalent for $10.00 because her father was in poverty. He asked the audience to please not take part in this tradition. The child bride situation is not new for Afghanistan. It surprised me that he went to such lengths to prevent this from being recorded. It made me angry that he was trying to control what was being published as if to try to hide what is actually occurring here on an everyday basis. I was later told that if he had allowed us to record or quote him it would have acknowledged that this is indeed a problem the country of Afghanistan is currently dealing with.

When I had an opportunity to photograph President Karzai previously I had to admit that I was a little bit star struck. On March 8, 2008, I walked away disappointed. The women who attended this event were affluent - where were the illiterate? Where were the poor women? Later that day I went to several villages outside of Kabul. There was a different story.

I repeatedly tried to locate and find information about a peace march but was unable to locate such an event. Women were concerned that this would turn into a violent situation with possible bombings.

Karzai – ©T. Rerras

March 12, 2008

On Tuesday I arrived in Herat, Afghanistan. There have been six kidnappings and several killings related to a small band of criminals in the city. I've had to really keep a low profile and hope to get out more in the next several days.

Today I was able to meet with Sima Shirmohammadi who is the Director of Women's Affairs here in Herat, Afghanistan. There are still many problems here in Herat and change for women has been slow.

Recently some of the incidents that have occurred against women have been on the extreme level of domestic violence. Here at a local hospital a young woman's 14-year-old husband was enraged over her attending the birthday party of a friend and cut off her nose and ear. I've asked permission to interview and hope to meet her in the next several days.

Another woman had her fingers cut off by her husband and suffers from burns from where he poured boiling water on her.

The thing that breaks my heart is the level of hardships that women face here on an everyday basis.

This is not just a story of hardships. I hope to show where women are making some progress.

March 26, 2008

I am back in the U.S. The trip to Afghanistan was a productive one. Each day brought with it new experiences. When I traveled to Afghanistan I went with an open mind and tried to be as objective as possible. In the end, I feel saddened at the lack of progress along with the struggle and hardships that young girls and women continue to suffer.

I wish I could have spent another month there but I am grateful for the time that I had. There is so much material that I am now reviewing all the photographs, audio and video and mapping this information out. It is probably best if I send you a synopsis of my itinerary while I was there along with information on the material I was able to gather.

March 27, 2008

I've attached a photograph of two young sisters who are orphans living in one room in the western part of Afghanistan. Even though not much is showing in this photograph, it is extremely sensitive due to the hideous abuses that they have endured.

March 27,2008

Maria's mother grieves over her daughter's grave. Maria died under suspicious circumstances.

Her mother said that she was in a car accident. Her boyfriend's family called Maria's mother

and told them to come and pick up her body. Maria was one of my students in the Learning

Through Photography class in 2004.

March 28, 2008

Rahana Amira is 18-years-old and lives on the outskirts of the city of Kabul, Afghanistan in a home in one of the poor sections of town. Rahana comes from a loving family and just recently graduated from high school. Rahana was also one of my students in the Learning Through Photography Foundation. She has just been accepted to an English course at the American University in Kabul. The Learning Through Photography Foundation paid for her scholarship of $150.00. The average income for an Afghan family that has work is around $300 to $600 U.S. dollars per year.

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	Teressa Rerras
	WKU Women's Studies Program Student Projects and Activism Excerpts from WS student Teressa Rerras's Journal to Dr. Kristi Branham, Instructor International Women's Day--Kabul March 3, 2008 Dr. Branham, Just wanted to check in with you and let you know I didn't fall off the end of the earth. Currently I'm in Dubai and will leave for Kabul on the morning of March 5th. The jet-lag gets so bad that I have learned to stay here for two days so that I am not exhausted when I arrive in Kabul. When I arrive in Kabul on the 5th I will begin contacting the women that will be granting me interviews. I will also be attempting to connect with the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Last week was a bit hectic. Several unplanned happenings along the way. Trying to pack all this equipment was a bit of a nightmare. My hope is to be able to communicate with you on a regular basis while in Afghanistan. On the 9th or 10th of March I will be going to Herat. For some reason, Herat seems to be much more oppressive than Kabul. It will be interesting to see if things have changed. I am really excited about this documentary. There are frequent power outages in Afghanistan but I hope to be able to give you updates every several days. This way if something comes up that you think I need to change or elaborate on I will be able to get your feedback. Thanking you, Teressa March 6, 2008 I'm in Kabul now. The security situation is pretty high with the upcoming Intern'l Women's Day. Slowly I'm making contacts and communication with women. Today I have received special passes to the upcoming events. Security is tight so it was important for me to get access. The thing that caught my eye this morning were the number of women I saw sitting in the middle of muddy streets with their children begging. It is ironic that this was taking place outside the women's loya jerga sp (?) This is the first time I have been able to access the internet. Will keep in touch. Trying to get right and slight right so I can be on the ball. March 8, 2008 Please feel free to post any messages I have sent you. Sorry that I have not been able to communicate. Things went smoothly on International Women's Day and I was able to photograph the President of Afghanistan. The event was held at a local high school in Kabul, Afghanistan. It appeared to me that most of the women attending were the privileged and more affluent women. I was able to talk my way into bringing a young Afghan girl with me to be my translator and assistant. When I was photographing, another male journalist pulled her aside and told her that this was a job only for men and that she could not be a journalist. Ironic that this happened on International Women's Day. Midway through the president's speech he advised all the journalists to turn off their recorders and cameras. After security came through to double check my equipment was turned off, President Karzai also announced that the no one was allowed to take any notes. I could not even hold a pen in my hand. I had my translator whisper in my ear what he was saying. He went on to tell the story of a nine-year-old girl who was sold into marriage for the equivalent for $10.00 because her father was in poverty. He asked the audience to please not take part in this tradition. The child bride situation is not new for Afghanistan. It surprised me that he went to such lengths to prevent this from being recorded. It made me angry that he was trying to control what was being published as if to try to hide what is actually occurring here on an everyday basis. I was later told that if he had allowed us to record or quote him it would have acknowledged that this is indeed a problem the country of Afghanistan is currently dealing with. When I had an opportunity to photograph President Karzai previously I had to admit that I was a little bit star struck. On March 8, 2008, I walked away disappointed. The women who attended this event were affluent - where were the illiterate? Where were the poor women? Later that day I went to several villages outside of Kabul. There was a different story. I repeatedly tried to locate and find information about a peace march but was unable to locate such an event. Women were concerned that this would turn into a violent situation with possible bombings. Karzai – ©T. Rerras March 12, 2008 On Tuesday I arrived in Herat, Afghanistan. There have been six kidnappings and several killings related to a small band of criminals in the city. I've had to really keep a low profile and hope to get out more in the next several days. Today I was able to meet with Sima Shirmohammadi who is the Director of Women's Affairs here in Herat, Afghanistan. There are still many problems here in Herat and change for women has been slow. Recently some of the incidents that have occurred against women have been on the extreme level of domestic violence. Here at a local hospital a young woman's 14-year-old husband was enraged over her attending the birthday party of a friend and cut off her nose and ear. I've asked permission to interview and hope to meet her in the next several days. Another woman had her fingers cut off by her husband and suffers from burns from where he poured boiling water on her. The thing that breaks my heart is the level of hardships that women face here on an everyday basis. This is not just a story of hardships. I hope to show where women are making some progress. March 26, 2008 I am back in the U.S. The trip to Afghanistan was a productive one. Each day brought with it new experiences. When I traveled to Afghanistan I went with an open mind and tried to be as objective as possible. In the end, I feel saddened at the lack of progress along with the struggle and hardships that young girls and women continue to suffer. I wish I could have spent another month there but I am grateful for the time that I had. There is so much material that I am now reviewing all the photographs, audio and video and mapping this information out. It is probably best if I send you a synopsis of my itinerary while I was there along with information on the material I was able to gather. March 27, 2008 I've attached a photograph of two young sisters who are orphans living in one room in the western part of Afghanistan. Even though not much is showing in this photograph, it is extremely sensitive due to the hideous abuses that they have endured. Sisters – ©T. Rerras March 27,2008 Maria's mother grieves over her daughter's grave. Maria died under suspicious circumstances. Her mother said that she was in a car accident. Her boyfriend's family called Maria's mother and told them to come and pick up her body. Maria was one of my students in the Learning Through Photography class in 2004. Maria’s Mother – ©T. Rerras March 28, 2008 Rahana Amira is 18-years-old and lives on the outskirts of the city of Kabul, Afghanistan in a home in one of the poor sections of town. Rahana comes from a loving family and just recently graduated from high school. Rahana was also one of my students in the Learning Through Photography Foundation. She has just been accepted to an English course at the American University in Kabul. The Learning Through Photography Foundation paid for her scholarship of $150.00. The average income for an Afghan family that has work is around $300 to $600 U.S. dollars per year. Lucky One - ©T. Rerras Click here to return to Women's Studies homepage