Women and war: touching works of Afghanistan's first graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani

Shamsia Hassani is the first female graffiti artist in the history of Afghanistan. To simply engage in art in this country, a woman needs unprecedented courage, but Shamsia has gone even further – in her works she defends the rights of women to love, study, creativity and a peaceful sky over their heads.

No matter what Hassani uses for her paintings – the wall of a bombed-out building, canvas or paper – her works are always acute and reveal the most important problems of Afghan society. The efforts of this woman are highly appreciated all over the world – in 2014, the American magazine Foreign Policy listed her among the 100 most important fighters for peace and freedom "FP Top 100 Global Thinkers".

The chapter dedicated to Shamsia Hassani is in the book "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" ("Good bedtime stories for rebel girls"), which contains the life stories of the most important women who changed the world around them.

After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan (the organization is banned in Russia), the previously unsafe activities of this brave woman became ten times more risky. Now her graffiti is perceived as direct calls to action and open accusations of crimes against humanity.

In many of Hassani's paintings, you can see girls in blue hijabs with dandelions in their hands, who are threatened with weapons by bearded men in black clothes. It is not difficult to understand who is who, and therefore fans of the Afghan artist's work are praying for her safety. Despite the huge risk, Shamsia remains in Kabul, captured by the militants, and, moreover, continues to work productively.