The weekend in pictures

Hi Guys!

I have been caught up in a lot of work, but now I´m back with some pictures from this past weekend.

I went to a demo that had the message that we in Denmark are able to take care of the 200 or more refugees from Afghanistan that the government are about to deport. It is so inhuman & a violation against the UN human rights. These people are in danger & did not arrive here by airplane og a nice cruise. God knows what these people have been through to get to Scandinavia…

I also went to my favorite cupcake place ( I´m not really into cupcakes, but these are something special) Serenity Cupcakes. The owner is such a sweetheart & the place is so cute. There are nice china & always fresh fashion magazines.

 

I was wearing my new white Nike Airmax & a Zara skirt I bought last summer.

My hair is growing rapidly & I can now have a ponytail. Here I´m wearing MAC morange lipstick.

 

Saturday night I went to a blockparty in a cool street in my old hood. As I walked home I saw this tree that had these amazing big flower buds. Today I saw they are in full bloom. Beautiful!!!

Eastside Westside Genocide

Sorry about the bad joke. I couldn´t help it. When things are very tragic & tense I sometimes joke. Guess I caught that from the husband-as I have mentioned earlier he´s a comedian-& he likes to joke about taboos. Well anyway…yesterday I attended a demonstration in front of my old work: The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A group from my ethnic minority gathered to create some attention on the fact that the minority are chased like animals & have been for decades & probably longer. You see we´re actually two minorities in one-a religious minority & ethnic minority-yes that is bad luck. That is like being an African jew or a gay man with dwarfism-I am sorry if I offend you- I am merely talking facts-not saying that anyone are worth less -quite the contrary. When you´re not a part of the norm you often get picked on & in this case people are killed. The minority that I am talking about are called hazaras. They have lived in Afghanistan for centuries & were victims of genocide under the taliban ( and also before ). You probably never heard about this, because it´s all about who has the power to decide what goes in the media. And since hazaras are often poor & illiterate with no power- the government does not care if they live or die, because of the corruption. Yesterday the protest were mostly for the genocide going on in Quetta in Pakistan. You see a part of the minority have been living on the other side of the Afghan border-in Pakistan. For the last 10 years or so it has been a crazy place to live. Hazaras are easily recognized because we don´t look like Pakistanis. We look South Asian. So people are bombed or gunned down because of their ethnicity & religion. It is so sad. I still have family there & I see my mother worry about her friends & family-&  when someone is killed. Since it´s not easy to leave the country & flee ( people are smuggled out if they can pay & the trip is not first class – people often die or are put in jail ) We were there to ask the Danish government to help put pressure on Pakistan so this madness can stop. But I´m pessimistic. It´s like talking to a wall. And the wall as you know doesn´t listen.

Can you imagine being scared of being killed, because of what you are? A thing that you can not control-you are just born that way. Probably not-because when people think genocide-they tend to think of Holocaust-like it´s the only time it happened. It is happening right now & to a lot of different people in different countries. So sad. Enough with the hate & hatecrimes-it´s really getting old.

Since you read the entire post I am giving you a treat: A nice fashion picture-since it is a fashion blog.

They make such a cute couple: Zoe Kravitz & Penn Badgley at Coachella. You´re welcome ; )

Afghanistan from it´s pretty sides

Yesterday my dear father would have been 72 today if he was still among us. Because I always think a lot of him on days like this I also get inspired by him. Therefore a post  about art & fashion from Afghanistan where he was born. Some of you are probably thinking that I don´t look like my parents are ethnic afghan, but those of you who have read Khaled Hosseini´s “The Kiterunner” know that Afghanistan is filled with different cultures & etnicities. I am ethnic hazara like the servant in the book & his son Hassan. The main theory about this group is that we are originally mongolian ( You might remember Mongolia´s Djengis Khan was rather brutal in year 1200 & conquered a lot of land which let to a lot of mongolian settled in these countries ).It is a highly stigmatized ethnic group & have been that for a very long time. And while we all know Afghanistan for the many wars, opium, heroin & the talibanwarriors, the country has a lot to offer. Well maybe not for your next vacation, but you know what I mean… In my last post I mentioned handmade rugs which is a huge industry in Afghanistan.

love the colors in this picture.

Photo from DAC ( Danish NGO)

photo by Wendy Philips

This rug is a classic bokhara from Afghanistan. Not my favorite, but they are beautifully made & keep the floor warm.

Look at the details!

Art was banned under the taliban. Only islamic caligraphy and such was allowed (which is also stunning btw.) All kinds of artist either fled the country or stopped working. Still it can be dangerous because the taliban still have power.

Mud sculpture called “Scream” by afghan artist Marzia Nazary

Afghan painter Meetra Bashiry

Afghan painter Arezoo Waseeq

Fashionclothes were also not approved by taliban. Women had to wear the burqa outside their house & women were not supposed to wear makeup & dress up But ofcourse the women did not stop dreaming about clothes. There are tradition for a lot of colors, sepuins & such.

Traditional

 

necklace: jewelry in Afghanistan are also often with a lot of colors & are rather big. Especially party jewelry can be huge. I love to watch people at weddings-everybody wears a set jewelry-necklace, ring, earrings that match.

Contemporary

I also have to mention that in 2003 two years “after taliban”  an “Afghan treasure” was revealed. It had been hidden by the National Museum of Afghanistans director in 1988 under the Soviet occupation. They had been in danger of being sold & the talibans as you know liked to ruin artwork cf. the Buddha Statues of Bamiyan. The artifacts have been around the world on an exhibition.

 

Golden pendant from the exhibition

Gold crown also from the exhibition

Asian & Middle Eastern countries have a lot to offer when it comes to art & fashion. I would love to travel more of Asia & the Middle East…