Have you ever dreamed of being a superhero/heroine?
Who was your favorite Superhero character from your childhood?
Marvel is an American publisher of comic books that has created many well known superheros like Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Hulk, etc.
I recently read a very interesting article about the concept of superhero, but this time, the superhero is completely different. Usually, the superhero is a male,powerful character with extraordinary skills who can help people and fight against injustice and inequality. There are few female superheroes, but have you ever heard of a Muslim Superhero/heroine?
Marvel is going to introduce a Muslim girl superhero, Kamala Khan, a teenage girl from Pakistan who lives in Jersey City. In my opinion, this concept comes from a great strategy which gives girls the chance to tell their stories. It is a safe way to let Muslim girls and women have their superheroine who are technically not a real human that can be followed, banned or put in jail.
I can hardly remember any Afghan superheros in our culture. Although if I think broader, in Dari/Farsi speaking countries, there was a famous poet called Ferdowsi who published a historical and remarkable book called "Shahnameh ". In this book, the main character is called Rostam and rides a white horse called Rakhsh. He was the symbol of bravery, wisdom and confidence.
Very few Afghan kids had a superhero in their childhood. That's why Women's Annex is going to help girls in schools create their own superhero/heroine using social and digital media as a tool to design it and spread their voice around the world.
We are really looking forward to seeing impressive results from kids in schools in Afghanistan so they can be the first to create and introduce Afghan Superheros to the world.
Leave your comments on how you think the concept of superhero can bring changes in Afghan kids' life. If you could design a superhero, what would he/she look like?
Be strong, happy and inspiring.
