Benefit concert for Afghanistan

Benefit concert for Afghanistan 2021 "They are refugees from Afghanistan but human first!"

Concert poster and painting by Lida Shirzad

About a month after the Taliban invaded Kabul on August 15, 2021 and took power, we played our benefit concert for Afghanistan. The program included pieces by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, in between we read poems and stories by people on the run, framed by paintings of refugees from Moria.

Here some of the pictures and excerpts from the texts:

paintings by Lida Shirzad

"We are witnessing an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. Anyone who campaigns for human rights, freedom and education there is threatened with persecution. Girls and women who have studied and held high positions destroy their diplomas out of fear and are wiped out as individuals under the burqa. Contrary to what the Taliban claim, the death squads are on the rise. Fear reigns in Afghanistan. And what happens to the people who flee from such a terror regime? Here we come to the next humanitarian tragedy. The fate of the refugees. They flee their beloved homeland from torture, death threats, bombed houses and villages. Their last hope is Europe! They dream of being safe in a country where there are human rights and freedom. But in Europe they are not wanted. Europe's outer borders are well guarded! For many people fleeing, the sea becomes their grave. We've all heard about the brutal pushbacks, the notorious Balkan route and the camps in which refugees often have to live for years under inhumane conditions and without any hope for a better future.

We want to bring them new hope. We founded 'S'BRENT' because we want to change something in the world here and now! We will not just watch as millions of people are deprived of their human rights. We want to stand by them as friends and fight for their rights!

Mahdie, 16, writes a letter from Moria:

Mahdi Jafari

“I am 16 years old and have been a fugitive all my life. Now I live in Moria, the great hell where about 8000 people live in terrible conditions. Being a refugee was the worst nightmare of my life. Nobody wants to leave their country, their family. Refugees are forced to do so because of war and persecution. I live in a refugee camp and I have no voice! We chose to cross the borders, we passed the mountains, we crossed the sea in a small sailing boat to come to Europe for a better life for the children and ourselves. But unfortunately we didn't find the beautiful paradise we had in our minds. There are so many talented people who came here to show their ability to shape the future of Europe because they couldn't do it in their country. But the way they have to live in Moria, they can no longer believe in themselves. We came here with a lot of dreams, with a lot of hope. We suffered, we fell, but we didn't give up. We are still alive to achieve our goals. No one can imagine how people suffer here. I hope that one day everything will be fine for all refugees and that there will be no more camps! We want to see the sunshine in a world full of humanity! Hear our voice... from Moria!

Mahdie Jafari is 16 years old and a refugee from Afghanistan. But she is human first!

What, if the sea could talk?

Paintings by Shwan Dler Qaradaki and Atefa Fayazi, a girl from Moria

A refugee from Afghanistan weeps on the seashore about his homeland

Painting by Shukran Shirzad

The intoxication of these nights and days is painful. Wrapped in my soul.
I am in pain and my heart is torn. I don't know his name.
In an ocean full of deep abysses I am the sea of ​​tears that always stands before rebellion.
My heart burns from afar for home, 
not a breath away from it.
Tell those who have gone and left you alone 
they silently broke you.
O my home, my roots, my love, my thought, 
my grave, my cradle, you are my torn heart!

Farid is a journalist and poet, a refugee from Afghanistan. But he is human first!

'Shtiler, Shtiler', a jiddish song

'Shtiler, Shtiler' was written by Schmerke Kaczerginski. The song describes the events in Ponary from the perspective of a mother who sings a lullaby to her son. She tells of the tragedy of Vilnius, but also expresses her hope that light will emerge from the darkness.

Quiet, quiet, let’s be silent.
Dead are growing here.
They were planted by the tyrant,
See their bloom appear.
All the roads lead to Ponar now,
There are no roads back,
And our father too has vanished,
And with him our luck.
Still, my child, don’t cry, my jewel.
Tears no help commands,
Our pain callous people
Never understand.
Seas and oceans have their order,
Prison also has its border,
But to our plight
There is no light,
There is no light. 

A friend from Israel answers Farid

In every end there is a beginning
In every despair there is a touch of hope
In every future lives a past
In every yesterday a tomorrow.
In every nightmare is a ray of light
In every poetry there is also a gray dimension
In every dream there is an awakening
In every wakefulness there is a dream.
rest, soul 
Silence comes to you
Until the dawn comes
Until peace resides within you.
In every guilt there is forgiveness
A sense of relief in every tear.
In every pain there is mercy
Salvation in every need.

Uzi Shalev is a musician from Israel. But he is human first!

What, if the sea could talk?

Zekria Farzad

“The night was dark and eerie, the Aegean waves were gigantic and the broken boat's engine was dead. The heart-rending screams of the women and children in the boat as the waves hit the boat mingled with the terrifying sound of thunder and lightning and sent shockwaves into my system. And there I was, in a corner of the dinghy, holding - along with my brave wife - my five frightened children, among 50 other refugees. The boat hit the huge rocks next to the island and sank. I managed to reach the shore with my wife and children - many didn't!...We were on Lesvos and this is where our life in the dark hell of Moria began.”
His name is Zekria Farzad. He is the founder of Wave of Hope for the Futur. The school's name has its origins in the deadly waves of the Aegean Sea. But these deadly waves shall become waves of hope for the future!

Zekria Farzad is a journalist and human rights activist, a refugee from Afghanistan. But he is human first!

Zekria Farzad about Wave of Hope:

Painting by Lida Shirzad

“With a little hope and a lot of courage, we managed to turn a once impossible idea into a great reality. In just a few months, Wave of Hope has grown from a simple school - a whiteboard under an olive tree - into a humanitarian organization. Today it is known worldwide as an institution by refugees for refugees. Our team consists of people of different nations, religions, races and beliefs, all of whom believe in humanity and peace. I believe that with some hope for the future, some courage and love, we can do the impossible! Long live humanity!”

S'BRENT: Despite everything he has experienced, Zekria has never lost his faith in humanity. We say with him that we see all of humanity as one family and that contributing to people's happiness is the true meaning of life!

"...first and foremost human being."

Painting by Lida Shirzad

Zekria Farzad: “Islam taught me to work for humanity and to see no boundaries between people. But I say with Rumi that I am not a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim, not a Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi or Zen, not from the East or West, but first and foremost a human being!"