He had received threats. But how in danger he really was, author and journalist Waheed Warasta (48) only understood when he received an anonymous phone call from a state-employed fan. – A blasphemy case has been opened against you, warned the man on the other end. – You should leave Kabul. The conversation was the start of a three-year escape before Waheed became Nesodden’s first free city artist. FRIBY AUTHOR: Afghan Waheem Warasta (47) came to Norway in autumn 2021. In February 2022, his wife and daughter followed. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news Fribyer welcomes artists, writers and journalists who have had to flee their home country after threats for their statements. In recent years, the free city organization ICORN has had an increasing number of applications. – But it exploded in 2021 with the crisis in Afghanistan. We have never experienced anything like this before. It is a historical record, says director Helge Lunde. WORKING FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Helge Lunde, director of ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network), leads the work to select which persecuted artists will be granted free city residency. Photo: ICORN Fear of being killed When Kabul fell on 15 August 2021, Waheed Warasta was already on the run in Uzbekistan. He is known from his own language program on the channel TOLO TV and was director of the freedom of expression organization Afghan PEN. Waheed and his wife – poet and literature professor Khaleda Froagh (59) – belonged to Kabul’s intellectuals. From their new terraced home in winter-clad Nesodden, the couple and their daughter Nirvana Froagh (17) must displace everything that was and focus on what is: A new country. A new culture. A new language. WORK DISCIPLINE: Waheem Warasta and Khaleda Froagh spend a lot of time every day learning Norwegian. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news – People are not birds that leave a tree and easily build a new nest in another. People’s souls are connected to the place they grew up in, says Warasta in a low voice. – But there comes a point when you feel forced to make the painful decision to flee in order not to be killed. Pursued freethinker Steaming Persian rice is served with spinach stew and salad. After the meal, raisins, almonds and clementines are placed on the table, while Nirvana pours green tea. The 17-year-old is getting ready to go to his first guitar lesson. During the day, she attends an introductory class with her parents. Free time is filled with art, music and poetry. FREE FOR MUSIC: The Taliban’s ban on music is incomprehensible to the artist family. Nirvana Froagh (17) tests the guitar with dad Waheem Warasta. Mum Khaleda Froagh comes along. Photo: Erling Dalhaug Daae / news Her unusual name provoked reactions in Kabul, but the parents refused to give in to religious pressure to give their daughter a Muslim name. – I am a free thinker. My religion is love and humanity, respect and equality between all people, emphasizes Waheed Warasta. Such statements provoked the Taliban. – Great progress ICORN also feels the need for urgent protection after the riots in Iran and the war in Ukraine. – It is becoming more difficult to be persecuted in Russia and Belarus. From there we notice great progress, says ICORN director Lunde. The Stavanger-based, international organization helps artists get residency in around 80 free cities around the world. There are currently 24 free cities in Norway. They have committed to giving persecuted artists a two-year stay. The free city scheme in Norway Norway has 24 free cities. In the Greater Oslo area, Oslo, Asker, Nesodden and Drøbak have free city status. While free city artists in other countries risk becoming castaways, those who come to Norway get permanent residence. Norway is an exception within the ICORN system. The artists come here as transfer refugees from the UN on the free quota. UDI grants residence. Friby artists must document their identity and that they are being persecuted for expressing their opinion. The arrivals are followed up by ICORN and Norsk PEN. The two-year scheme as a free city artist consists of collections and follow-up. Fribyen undertakes to facilitate social and artistic integration. The aim is for the artist to gain a network and a good basis to continue his work even after the free-of-charge period is over. The initiative came from the writer Salman Rushdie in 1993. In 2005, representatives from several cities that got involved agreed to form an international free city network. Since its inception in 2006, ICORN has helped around 200 writers to obtain protection in free cities worldwide. SOURCE: ICORN director Helge Lunde Kriger with caricatures Many come alone. Iraqi Ahmed Falah (35) fled from death threats in Baghdad to Jakarta. The threats came after a critical drawing of a militia leader. After five years in exile, he became a free city artist in Drøbak. Now he has a full-time job at Avistegnernes hus – a gallery and national center for freedom of expression. THE PROTEST ARTIST: Caricaturist Ahmed Falah from Baghdad is a free city artist in Drøbak. Here he shows off one of his own drawings at Avistegnerne’s house. Photo: Anders Fehn / news Getting used to the Norwegian system has been challenging. He often feels lonely. He displaces it by drawing. – I don’t draw to be funny. I want to make people think. I want to show what the military militias in Iraq do with artists. AT WORK: After several odd jobs, Ahmed Falah is happy to be able to work with art full-time. Photo: Anders Fehn / news Better in exile Nor does Norway escape his streak. Ahmed illustrates NAV as an endless labyrinth. Football president Lise Klaveness is portrayed as a straight-backed freedom fighter. During the pandemic, Drøbak municipality used Ahmed’s infection prevention drawings. The Iraqi believes he has never been better than after he fled. Exile gave access to information and a better overview. – Therefore, I can comment more strongly with my drawings now than when I lived in Baghdad. WINTER WALKING: Walking is cartoonist Ahmed Falah’s best trick to clear his head. – But the winter in Norway is too cold. Instead, I get inspiration on the bus between Oslo and Drøbak, he quips. Photo: Anders Fehn / news Newspaper support from the neighbor Back at Nesodden, Waheed and Khaleda are happy to live in a love marriage. It helps in the new everyday life at Nesodden, they feel. Waheed admires his wife for her positive attitude. It is contagious and creates unity, he believes. FREEDOM RECOVERED: Khaleda Froagh (50) traveled alone to international literature festivals before the Taliban came to power. She and her husband are keen to give Nirvana (17) the freedom to choose her own interests, education and life. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / NTB The nearest neighbor shares daily newspapers and magazines with the family. – We feel lucky to have good neighbours. It helps us a lot in learning the language. During his exile, Waheed lived alone in Uzbekistan. Froagh and Nirvana remained in Kabul before the two fled to Albania. – It was a big challenge. Without ICORN, we would have had to continue a stressful life. With the little support friends could send us. Soon book news Waheed is happy about the freedom Norway gives his wife and daughter. In the home country, the woman is the man’s property. Khaleda has already received a book deal with Aschehoug, who will publish a collection of poems. PUBLISHED IN NORWEGIAN: Khaleda Froagh (50) was a literature professor at the University of Kabul and an established poet before she had to flee. Now she is completing a collection of poems to be published by Aschehoug. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news – A sudden change of location can make you more creative. I think my poems will be better because of it, she says. The poems can be sad, but open a window to hope, says Khaleda. How life feels as a refugee. – A sadness that goes in the direction of happiness. Hi! Do you have any tips for other news, reports or stories that news should tell? Feel free to send me an email! I am a journalist at news Stor-Oslo where we particularly focus on diversity. Feel free to read my report “Taring the heritage back” about how hate speech and incitement affects national minorities. All tips and information are treated confidentially.
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Afghan Waheed saved by the free city of Nesodden – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
