Health, employment, the right to adequate accommodation… On occasion festival organized by France terre d’Asile at Ground Controlon November 14 and 15 in Paris, revisiting travel plans and the hardships faced by women in exile.
Shakiba Dawod’s round, full face gives the forty-year-old an impression of youth that is immediately countered by the gravity of the story of his departure from Afghanistan. In 2008, he played in Kabul a Tartuffeadapted to the code of ethics of Afghan society. This is not everyone’s taste. An 18-year-old girl who wanted to join a small theater troupe was kidnapped by her cousin, beheaded and thrown into a well. He said her body was found several months later. This event was the trigger for France’s departure, thanks to the support of the Théâtre du Soleil. This was already his second exile. Born in a village in Iran, she grew up in Isfahan, before returning to Afghanistan with her family in 2003. A painful departure for the young girl who was not even 20 years old. “I took out a bag containing Iranian soil that I had kept for a long time.»
Shakiba and his partner arrived in Paris in early 2009, newly married, after having to fight for the union to be accepted, against several arranged marriages. Here, she gave birth to their daughter and continued her studies in art and design at the School of Decorative Arts (les art-deco). “I want to be a costume designer and do theater again“, she said. Thanks to this training, she was able to work as an assistant stylist in a large fashion house, and at the same time continued to act as an actress in a theater group. She found comfort there, but understood that it was a unique place. “I didn’t realize that I was in a protected and privileged environment.»
In art-deco, he learned a lot but also depicted shallow friendships, parties, and bourgeois codes that he ignored. “I want to stay in this euphoria, I’m indifferent and carefree, I just want to make my own dreams come true“, he said. And guilt overtook him, he felt distant from “which person he wants to be» ; she wants to make an impact on the lives of refugee women, Afghan women.
In 2016, he experienced depression and contemplated suicide. One evening, he called a friend studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (Belgium) to say goodbye. “It was 11 o’clock at night. and he said to me, “wait for me, at 5 am I will be there.” I would jump into the Seine and he would take a taxi to accompany me. This humanitarian gesture changed my life. I thought: even if only one person in this world loves me like this, that would be enough to live on.»
She divorced, changed her life, became a translator at Ofpra (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons), and got involved in associations. “I decided to dive into the world of activism for women, refugees and gender minorities. I need humanity and humility. That everything is not in the performance report ; and knowing that my life can contribute to reducing the suffering of others.»
And then, the Parliament of Exiles came to him. The association’s mission is to give voice and weight in society to people who were not born in France, but live there. Shakiba Dawod is now part of this Parliament. He described “difficult decision to make» because he had to give up his civil service contract to take part, and received 1,150 euros every month this year for his mandate. Conscious to leave”good salary security”, he said to do”a sacrifice and a dangerous life choice, for France and for its exiled people.» Among these demands, we find the right to vote in local elections and Shakiba also calls for presidential elections. However, in this representation, the priorities are the struggle to learn French, access to housing, employment, recognition of diplomas obtained abroad and, of course, the rights of women and minors.
She fought especially for Afghan women: “The Taliban deprives women of education, prohibits them from working and going to public spaces, this is gender apartheid.» His wish? Be the messenger, to convey their voice and be involved in the integration of Afghan and Iranian society here. “I arrived here a long time ago, I know French society, both in body and in my soul. When we arrived, we felt alone, confused. I can help and support to make the transition from one culture to another smoother and smoother“.
