In Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, the sound of guitars fills a small bedroom where four young Afghan refugee guitarists practice. These girls, Yasemin, Zakia, Shukriya, and Uzra, fled Afghanistan after the Taliban regained power in 2021. They spend hours practicing and jamming in the room, honing their skills that they learned at a music school in Kabul. Their dreams of resettling in the United States were put on hold due to political changes in both Pakistan and the US. Despite the uncertainty, they continue to practice and play music, finding solace and joy in their shared passion. Right on time, the young guitarist swiftly exits the room.
A personalized guitar pick showcasing the band’s original song, ‘Girl with a Guitar’ [Rabia Mushtaq/Al Jazeera]
Becoming ‘Unstoppable’
During days when the girls manage to carve out some free time while the sun is still shining, they and their siblings accompany their teacher to Islamabad’s parks and recreational areas.
Cordola picks them up in his white Suzuki high roof, and they venture to the popular picnic spot Daman-e-Koh in the Margalla Hills or the tourist favorite, Pakistan Monument on the Shakarparian Hills.
The green F-9 Park is also a popular choice. There, Zakia relaxes on the fresh, dewy grass while Uzra enjoys swinging back and forth on the swings. Shukriya dreams of visiting a nearby food street, where she hopes to indulge in treats such as pani puri, soup, ice cream, and the classic samosa. Yasemin mentions her love for rice and daal chawal (lentils with rice). According to Zakia, chicken biryani and pani puri are the best foods that Pakistan has to offer.
However, music is what brings the girls the most joy – and what enabled them to connect with the Grammy-nominated Australian singer and songwriter Sia.
After recording a rendition of her female empowerment anthem, Unstoppable, in 2024, the Australian vocalist sent the girls a special message commending their talent.
“Thank you so much for singing ‘Unstoppable’ and for your support. I love you so much. I love you so much. I really feel for what you’re going through,” she said in a video message to the girls.
The video of Sia’s track shows the girls singing against the backdrop of lush green parks and atop the Shakarparian Hills. The music was recorded at the studio of Pakistani record producer Sarmad Ghafoor, a friend of Cordola’s. The song was released on March 18.
At the time of recording the song, three girls from Cordola’s Kabul school who have since moved to the US were also with Yasemin, Zakia, Shukriya, and Uzra in Islamabad.
“We had to change our costumes during the shoot, and it was challenging to do it at the locations, but we managed by helping each other and having fun at the same time,” Shukriya recalls.
When Sia responded to their performance with a video message, the girls were in disbelief.
“She is someone who didn’t have to make a video for us, but she did. She is a really kind and inspirational woman,” says Yasemin. “She spoke from her heart and gave us a lot of hope. Sometimes we lose hope and think that we won’t be able to achieve our dreams in life. But her powerful words truly inspired and motivated us.”
Cordola displays on his laptop an unreleased music video of the girls singing a rendition of Sia’s track, Unstoppable, in Islamabad, Pakistan [Rabia Mushtaq/Al Jazeera]
From Selling Candy to Playing a Guitar
Yasemin’s current life is a far cry from what it was seven years ago when she first met Cordola.
At his school, Cordola “wanted to focus on girls’ education and rights,” he explains. “It’s education through the arts.” He persuaded the parents of several street children, especially girls, to allow them to attend his music school.
He first encountered Yasemin at a park where she sold candy and chewing gum while her father washed cars nearby.
“I was 11 years old when I first met Mr. Lanny in 2017,” Yasemin remembers. “I saw Mr. Lanny at the park with many children. At that time, I didn’t speak to him because I was very shy and also afraid of crowds. The fear of an explosion in such a space was always on my mind.”
Eventually, Cordola reached out to her through another girl, gave her 150 Afghanis ($2.11), and asked her to visit the music school with her father. “I was hesitant at first, but a friend named Yalda was already going to the school, so I went to Miraculous with her. When I held the guitar for the first time there, it felt amazing,” she recalls.
Initially, Yasemin’s father was hesitant about her joining the music school, concerned about how it would be perceived in conservative Afghan society. “But later, when he got to know Mr. Lanny, he agreed to it,” she says.
Cordola remembers that Yasemin’s father relented when he learned that his daughter would no longer need to work in the park. “I provided a monthly stipend to the children who excelled at the school,” he explains.
Little Uzra holds her small guitar as she practices a tune at her home in Islamabad, Pakistan [Rabia Mushtaq/Al Jazeera]
Fauzia, Yasemin and Uzra’s mother, was delighted when her daughter began studying music. “I felt good because [through the guitar] she [Yasemin] wanted to rely on herself for her future. Now, I feel proud that she is not only doing this for herself but also for those who need support.”
She was nicknamed Jellybean by Cordola after being mistaken for another girl with the same name at the Kabul school. “When Mr. Lanny called our name ‘Yasemin,’ both of us would respond to him. This caused a lot of confusion,” she chuckles.
In the same neighborhood where Yasemin and her father worked, Zakia and her father used to sell sunflower seeds. Cordola gave Zakia a business card and instructed her to visit the music school with her father, 52-year-old Muhammad Sabir.
“The next day, I went there with my father to Miraculous. There, I saw the guitars and other girls playing them. I really liked it. Initially, my mother didn’t allow me because she was skeptical and scared of Mr. Lanny. But I insisted on trying my luck. After I went there, I started practicing the guitar and drawing, and never went back to the hill to work again,” Zakia says.
Shukriya, who initially visited the school with her older sibling out of curiosity, was so captivated by the guitars that she soon joined Cordola’s growing class.
Their father, Cordola recalls, was thrilled at the opportunity to send his daughters to his music school. “When I first met Zakia’s father, he was smiling and asked, ‘Can we come now?’ I told him to come the next day instead. When he arrived the next day, he exclaimed, ‘this is great.’ A tall Sabir, sitting in his residence in Islamabad, fondly remembers that time. He supported the children to play the guitar, as he was happy for them. Sabir explains, ‘I liked music myself even before meeting Mr. Lanny. When the opportunity came, I didn’t want my daughters to miss it for a better future.’ However, everything changed with the Taliban’s return. The girls were afraid to leave their homes due to restrictions on women in Afghanistan. Sabir had to hide Shukriya’s small guitar and break Zakia’s larger guitar as the Taliban considered music haram. Eventually, after multiple attempts, the girls and their families made it to Pakistan in April 2022 with the help of Cordola, who now funds their expenses and guitars through donations. But with Pakistan deporting Afghan refugees and the uncertainty of resettlement, their future remains at risk. The girls dream of pursuing music professionally, but the threat of returning to Afghanistan looms over them, potentially ending their musical aspirations.” “I miss the time in Kabul when we played together, talked (to our friends) after practice and ate together,” katanya, mengingat apa yang dia tahu dia tidak akan bisa mengulanginya jika dia kembali ke Kabul sekarang.
Tapi Cordola dan para gadis menolak untuk menyerah.
Guru itu telah mencoba menghubungi musisi dan orang-orang yang memiliki kontak di pemerintah AS untuk membuat relokasi menjadi mungkin.
“Saya mengirim pesan kepada orang-orang yang mungkin bisa menghubungi pihak atas di pemerintah Amerika. Para gadis telah bekerja sama dengan beberapa musisi paling terkenal di AS dan Inggris. Kami tidak mencari keuntungan tambahan, tapi untuk memberikan kesempatan kepada mereka,” katanya.
Yasemin bermain gitar di rumahnya di Islamabad, Pakistan [Rabia Mushtaq/Al Jazeera]
Cordola mengatakan bahwa dia juga telah menulis surat terbuka kepada Trump atas nama musisi muda, mendesak presiden AS untuk memperbolehkan mereka masuk ke negara itu.
Dalam suratnya, musisi itu menulis bahwa jika para gadis ditolak kesempatan untuk menetap di AS, mereka akan dideportasi kembali ke Afghanistan, di mana mereka akan berisiko dihukum dengan “penjara, bahkan hukuman mati”.
“Mereka siap untuk beradaptasi dan berkontribusi. Mereka tidak datang untuk mengambil. Mereka ingin menjadi bagian dari impian Amerika,” katanya. “Kami bersedia pergi dan mengadakan konser kecil untuk Presiden Trump jika dia tertarik.”
Gadis-gadis tersebut, tambah Cordola, juga bisa direlokasi ke negara lain yang “bersedia menyambut mereka dan memberikan tempat tinggal legal dan aman”, menambahkan bahwa seorang advokat utama untuk musisi perempuan Afghanistan tertarik untuk merelokasi mereka ke Belfast, Irlandia Utara, sebuah kota yang diakui oleh UNESCO untuk musiknya.
Yang paling penting, para gadis hanya ingin tetap bersama – di bagian dunia mana pun yang menerima mereka.
“Ketika saya sudah tidak ada di sini, impian saya adalah agar semua gadis bisa berkumpul dan bersatu teguh. Saya tidak bisa melakukannya sendirian. Ketika semua kita gadis berkumpul dengan Pak Lanny di tempat yang sama, kita akan melakukan sesuatu,” kata Yasemin.
Fauzia, ibu dari Yasemin, Uzra, dan Fauzia, mengatakan bahwa dia bersyukur kepada Pakistan karena telah menyambut mereka. Tetapi dia tahu bahwa masa depan keluarganya bergantung pada pemerintah Barat memberikan mereka suaka segera. “Kehidupan kami terancam di Afghanistan dan bahkan di Pakistan tidak ada kedamaian. Entah itu AS atau pemerintah lain, kami meminta bantuan bagi mereka yang hidupnya dalam bahaya,” katanya.
Sampai saat itu, gadis-gadis memiliki gitar mereka, musik mereka, dan mimpi mereka untuk ditemani.
“Setiap kali saya sedih, saya memegang gitar saya dan melupakan semua kesedihan,” kata Yasemin. “Ini telah mengubah hidup saya.”