Abstract:
This project focuses on the mediating role that music education, in general, and musical practices, in particular, can play as a means of social inclusion, the promotion of diverse knowledge systems, and the reconfiguration of contexts of social vulnerability. It is an exploratory study of the case of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), a music school dedicated to underprivileged Afghan children, especially girls. The “Zohra” Orchestra, the first all-female orchestra in Afghanistan, was created at ANIM.
With the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, schools were closed and women were denied access to education. The destruction of musical instruments was mandated, and musical events in public spaces were banned. With all its activities prohibited, ANIM was forced to flee the country in 2021. Portugal was the only country to offer asylum to this “musical community.” One of the hosting institutions is the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatory School in Braga, which has provided them with music education. The Afghan students’ learning process runs in parallel with the training provided by ANIMP (ANIM in Portugal), which includes classes in Hindustani theory, Sitar, and Rubab—subjects not included in the standard Conservatory curriculum.
This heterogeneity of curricula, actors, and circumstances gives rise to new educational challenges, whether in the domain of intercultural dialogue (Sousa, 2012) or inclusive education (Mota & Teixeira, 2017). This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach that draws on knowledge from Ethnomusicology, Community Music, Music Education, Cultural Studies, and Educational Sciences.
Team:
Klênio Barros (Principal Investigator); Rui Marques; Jorge Alexandre Costa