An artist in exile As a screenwriter, poet, and academic, University of Chicago visiting scholar Fazel Ahad Ahadi has played a pivotal role in the world of Afghan cinema—but the story he wants to tell is of his family’s harrowing escape from the Taliban. …
is grateful to Saba Ayman-Nolley for her work on this story as a Persian-to-English translator. A retired psychologist born in Iran, she has helped many Afghan refugees as a volunteer with the Hyde Park Refugee Project.
Ahadi is a poet, playwright, screenwriter, prolific writer, and born mentor who has trained a generation of Afghan screenwriters. He has published in Persian several collections of poetry and numerous books and articles, most concerning cinema. As of yet, none of this work has been translated into English. But he is less interested in talking about his own career than about the plight of his countrymen. Nothing can better convey this to the world, in his opinion, than film.
Ahadi says he too might have disappeared, had he not been helped out of Afghanistan. For about a year before the U.S. withdrawal, he had been receiving threats from the Taliban. He got anonymous phone calls. He got messages on Facebook, where his poetry had been used in anti-Taliban campaigns. He had also attracted attention by writing a sort of battle hymn for the pro-Western government.The Taliban’s strict interpretation of the Quran means that almost every form of art is prohibited as sinful.
When asked how Fazel recognized the “Taliban car,” the Ahadis burst out laughing. In fact, it was an open U.S. military Jeep flying a white Taliban flag and piloted by a man in a turban, robes, and an unruly beard. As the flames rose higher, the Ahadis worried that their house would catch fire. Some neighbors expressed concern for their safety, but they were sent away. No one could be trusted.
The Kabul airport was the only way out of Afghanistan, and the roads leading there were choked with people, many on foot. It was impossible for the Ahadis’ car to reach the terminal. They returned to their house and waited for an opportunity to try again. To make the trip to Mazar-i-Sharif, they would need their passports, which had expired during their weeks in hiding. Renewing them was not easy, as most government offices were closed. Fortunately, Ahadi had a friend who was employed by the passport office and knew who had to be paid off. Soon there were seven passports in hand—a mixed blessing, for while they couldn’t travel without them, they were fearful when they had to show them.
The families kept in touch via WhatsApp. Ahadi and his wife say they were in fear every hour. Every airplane that flew overhead, every car that passed beneath their doors and windows, could be a harbinger of a military attack. For the Ahadis, stepping into the Kabul airport after six months on the run or in hiding was like returning from an alternate universe. The terminal was operating with the same staff as before the Taliban retook the country, and the family was treated with kindness and courtesy. Ahadi had not spoken with his mother since leaving Kabul, and once onboard the airplane it was a huge relief to be able to call her.
The family at their home in Hyde Park. From left: Bahara Ahadi, Milad Ahadi, Nasrin Ahadi, Fazel Ahad Ahadi holding Sana Ahadi, Abdullah Ahadi, Anas Asadi. Credit: Matthew Gilson forThis spring, Ahadi gave his first lecture on the University of Chicago campus, bringing with him a 17-year teaching legacy and deep ambassadorial skills. With Iranian filmmaker Hossein Khandan serving as translator, Ahadi presented an overview of 75 years of Afghan cinema.
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