Farkhonda Akbar

Photo by Michelle Grace Hunder

Hazara poet and cultural activist Farkhonda Akbar uses the conflict in her homeland, Afghanistan, as inspiration for her art and abstract writing. Through it, she seeks to represent Hazara people worldwide—and, at the same time, urge the Hazara diaspora in Melbourne to reconnect with their culture. She recently ran a three-month series of Hazaragi poetry workshops to encourage young people and women in her community to assert their ancestry. Farkhonda’s art is infused with her dark experiences as a young Hazara girl in Afghanistan, but it is still an important call for peace and hope.