
by Zia Forogh
This painting, titled “In Memory of the Girls of the Kaaj Educational Center,” is dedicated to the innocent victims of the attack on the Kaaj Educational Center in West Kabul — those Hazara girls who sat in their classroom in search of a brighter future and were brutally massacred. The black silhouettes on the canvas symbolize the silent bodies of the girls whose lives and education were taken away. The scattered desks and books speak of dreams drowned in blood. The red sun in the background recalls the blood that was shed and at the same time stands as a symbol of a truth that can never remain hidden. “In Memory of the Girls of the Kaaj Educational Center” is not merely a work of art; it is a cry against injustice and a visual testimony to the collective suffering of the Hazara people. This work reminds us that pens and books must never become victims of hatred — and that the girls’ dream of life and knowledge will continue to live on in historical memory.