All-women-orchestra creates furor in Afghanistan

Another death defying feat by a few now appears under the guise of a musical troupe dubbed 'Zohra', Afghanistan's first all female orchestra who are to perform amidst myriads of death threats and propaganda at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Zohra, a musical troupe of 35 young musicians aged 13 to 20 are to perform to approximately 3,000 CEOs and heads of state at the concert today.

The group is led by Negina Khpalwak and performed under her patronage earlier this month, which was their last rehearsals in Kabul before the concert amongst the discrimination, general patriarchy and war in their homeland.

"She is Afghanistan's first female conductor," says Dr Ahmad Sarmast, who is the musicologist who founded Afghanistan's National Institute of Music and the Zohra orchestra, while commenting on Khpalwak.

Sarmast says women in particular face immense opposition rather repression? - As he first-handedly experienced the 1996-2001 Taliban's oppressive rule, which strongly asserted on gender segregation and music as a whole, consequently letting alone the notion of an all-women band.

Dr. Ahmad Sarmast strongly believes 'Zohra' and the likes provide a way out to doing what is in essence necessary; relaying a better [actual?] image of Afghanistan worldwide.