Under the Starry Afghan Sky
Ay Kash / ای کاش / If Only
UNDER THE STARRY AFGHAN SKY collective, Afghanistan
facilitated by Cosmino Theatre
Under the Starry Afghan Sky is a collective formed by eleven courageous young women, aged between 15 and 23, who continue to navigate life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The collective emerged from the important work of Herat Online School (part of AEA: Afghanistan Education Action), founded by the educational activist Angela Ghayour, who herself fled Afghanistan in 1992. Facilitated by Rachel Karafistan of Cosmino Theatre, the project has taken on a unique form, with the young women participating in virtual sessions from the safety of their bedrooms since September 2022.
Since the withdrawal of Western forces in August 2021, the lives of women in Afghanistan have descended into unimaginable hardship. Not only have their fundamental rights been stripped away, but the very essence of their freedom has been shattered. Women in Afghanistan no longer possess the basic rights to live life fully—no freedom to education, to graduate, to love feely, to travel unaccompanied, to enjoy a simple walk in the park, or even to ride a bicycle. Under the oppressive rule of the Taliban, these women endure a public existence devoid of dignity, autonomy, and hope.
In ‘Ay Kash/ ای کاش / If Only’, the space is held by the presence of Rachel Karafistan of Cosmino Theatre, yet it is the voices, films, songs, and drawings of the eleven young women in Afghanistan that take centre stage. The material for the show has been exclusively collected via Telegram under the constant pressure of lack of electricity, internet access and Taliban surveillance.
These young women have many things they wish to share with the world: their personal stories since the Taliban’s rise to power, the tales of their mothers and grandmothers and most importantly, they wish to express their hopes and dreams for a better future. Their stories burst into life through a blend of song, object theatre, storytelling, and a touch of AI. The performance is further enhanced by animations—designed to protect the creators, by Berlin artist Anna Benner, based on 10-second films provided by each young woman.
Alongside our touring performance, in July 2024 we organized an AY KASH ONLINE event, in which women from all corners of the globe read texts written by the young women in 9 different languages. The event featured notable actors such as Kathryn Hunter (The Tragedy of Macbeth, Poor Things, Harry Potter), Shobu Kapoor (Citizen Khan, Eastenders, We Are Lady Parts), Manjinder Virk (Trigger Point, Britz, Midsomer Murders), Ann Ogbomo (Justice League, The Sandman, Wonder Woman) and Priya Kansara (Bridgerton, The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself).
The project is funded entirely by public donations, with every penny raised going directly to support the eleven young women in Afghanistan.
‘Ay Kash/ ای کاش / If Only’, recently won the prestigious Best Direction Award at the 37th International Theatre Festival Valise in Łomża, Poland. The jury commended the boldness of the performance and the profound power of its artistic expression. Their feedback emphasized that the performance’s impact surpasses that of traditional journalism, capturing the raw and urgent truth of the Afghan women’s struggle with unparalleled clarity and authenticity.
Eleven girls
With our hearts full of hope and desire.
With tears in our eyes and trembling legs, with no way to escape.
We are sitting in our bedrooms in Afghanistan and slowly dying.
Every time we rise to show ourselves, our legs are showered with bullets.
Eleven girls who only ask to be allowed to study, to travel, to let our hair fly in the wind and,
from all the riches in this world, own a bicycle. Is it too much to ask?
Is it too much if I want to become a psychologist? Or a painter?
Too much if I want to fall in love and have my heart broken?
Too much if I prefer freedom over longing?
What it my hair turns grey, and my lips are never kissed?
We never wanted our share of the sky to simply
be able to gaze at the moon from our bedroom windows.
I want to swim in the sky. Do I want too much?
Eleven brave warriors,
standing against the Taliban’s oppression with our pens, art, poetry, and music.
Ay Kash is the voice of a nation sleeping in blood, the voice of a wounded geography.
Don’t let our desire to swim in the sky, rot in our hearts.
Don’t let the desire to take hold of our pen and fight, disappear.
Text: ‘The Writer’
PERFORMANCES:
June 2023: Saving Hope: Theatrical Artivism in Spaces of Conflict, Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw, Poland
September 2023: Premiere: English Theatre Berlin, Germany
January 2024: Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
March 2024:Teatr Osmego Dnia, Poznań, Poland
June 2024: 37th International Theatre Festival, ‘Walizka’, Lomza, Poland
October 2024: International Theatre Festival Sytuacje/Relacja, Bydgoscz, Poland
October 2024: Mahalla Festival, Istanbul, Türkiye
28 February / 1 March 2025: ACUD Theater, Berlin, Germany
28 June 2025: Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw, Poland
October 2025: Leeds Playhouse, Courtyard Theatre, Leeds, UK
November 2025: Republika Sztuki Tłusta Langusta, Poznan, Poland
EXHIBITIONS:
September 2023: Little Window Gallerie, Berlin, Germany
September 2023: Graumaleri, Berlin, Germany
September – December 2023: OYOUN Cultural Centre, Berlin, Germany
March 2024: Teatr Osmego Dnia, Poznan, Poland
March 2024: Soli Flinta Poetry Pop Up Event, Berlin, Germany
September – October 2025: Ayuntamiento de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Sponsored by AFRA
PRESS:
Interview / Article by Renu Ramanath in Chintha Plus, India:
https://chinthaplus.in/?p=2127&fbclid=IwY2xjawLD0QVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvpkK1iH5mR5HbPNzf-I0NrJeVtASXrJ3z6OIiLm-FiQooUT5P3xtX7cVZpI_aem_-Fg6_pTbYLen737fUQ8k6w&sfnsn=wiwspwa
BBC World Service Reel featuring our Artwork and Texts
Messages from our Audiences:
After each performance, the audience is encouraged to leave messages for the young women in a guestbook. Below are some of the entries:
When freedom comes, it will be your names that are written in stone.
Your stories will stay in my mind. You have changed the way I think forever.
Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Know that they have been heard and that your lives are important.
You are all total badasses. You inspire me.
In deep admiration for your work and courage…Thanks so much for sharing this with us, not giving up and chasing your dreams. I have a daughter myself and can’t find the words for what you must endure.
Thank you for your art / heart, love, kindness of your lives shared with us. I leave with parts of you in my heart.
You say: ‘‘When freedom comes, we will be ready’ and we will be waiting for you, our sisters.
Thank you for your strength. You are amazing. You are so powerful. You are heroines. I am marked by what you have given us. Thank you.
You found the words to share your story, yet I can’t find the words to thank you. I wish you get the freedom and justice you deserve.
Dear girls of my homeland, thank you for declaring the pain of the women of our country. Woman, life, freedom!
I know you are in pain. Keep up the fight. We are proud of you. Death to idiocy and misogyny.
CREDITS:
Created entirely by the eleven young women of Under the Starry Afghan Sky and facilitated by Cosmino Theatre
Original Music and Video Editing: Kuba Pierzchalski of Cosmino Theatre
Animations: Anna Benner
Publicity photos: Rhea Schmitt
Performance photos: Tobiasz Papuczys
LINKS:
Project website: www.underthestarryafghansky.com
Animation trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeH0PyfXfyw
Show trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8cTnvqyTaI&t=89s
Instagram: @underthestarryafghansky / @cosminotheatre
Facebook: Cosmino Theatre