1. SEPTEMBER 2010 47
If first impressions are anything
to go by, then Mozhdah comes
across as something of an Afghan
Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera.
Indeed, the video for her trademark
song, “Afghan Girl”, casts her as
nothing less than a pop princess. But
in war-torn Afghanistan, as the star of
a controversial new TV chat show that
has gripped the nation, she is more
frequently compared to the queen of
daytime talk shows, Oprah. Now, in
her dual roles, with her pop career
on one hand, and the eponymous
Mozhdah Show on the other, Mozhdah
Jamalzadah, is Afghanistan’s newest
megastar. Mozhdah’s family fled
from Kabul to Canada, when she was
only five. She returned as a twenty-
something singer/model in 2009,
to a country still in the throes of a
war, albeit a different one. Back in
Canada, she was raised on a steady diet
of western music and values, having
escaped the brunt of the Taliban-led
cultural and religious fascism sweeping
her home country.
Jamalzadah studied broadcast
journalism and opera, but never
imagined she might want to be a singer
one day. But, in 2008, fuelled by a deep
love of Persian poetry and a hope that
she might be able to give something
back to her homeland, Mozhdah
recorded her first single, titled “Afghan
Girl”( a track dedicated to a group
of brave Kandahar schoolgirls who
were victims of a vicious acid attack).
With the lyrics Mozdah hopes to
foster greater gender equality in the
notoriously orthodox country. The
song spread like wildfire amongst
the Afghan diaspora in Canada, and
eventually reached Afghanistan itself,
turning into a monster hit. Sell-out
tours, concerts and more recordings
followed. In fact, by the time she
landed her first television contract as
the host of Afghan Talent, the local spin
on Britain’s Got Talent, Mozhdah was
already a bona fide superstar. Returning
to Kabul to host the show in December
2009, Jamalzadah was faced by a
society still entrenched in its orthodox
norms. So, when she was offered the
chance to host her own show, The
Mozhdah Show, she was determined
to make a difference. Armed with a
boxful of Oprah’s DVDs, she convinced
her producers to turn the show from
a simple music-and-variety hour, to a
talk show that tackles everything from
Afghan pop-culture to taboo topics
that have so far been pushed under the
carpet in Afghanistan.
In a country that’s still grappling
with deep religious conservatism,
Mozhdah’s job is extremely dangerous,
especially so due to her broad-minded
political views and a staunch refusal to
toe the norms. Airing twice a week,
The Mozhdah Show tackles socially
relevant issues, featuring special guests,
authors, psychologists, and social
commentators, all interspersed with a
collage of skits and music. Discussing
subjects like divorce, religion and
family issues, the show is breaking
taboos by getting onto subjects that are
relevant to young Afghans, making the
country’s hardliners nervous. Indeed,
Mozhdah has already received two
warnings for the show’s content and
her attire, from the Ministry of
Information and Culture. (Not to
mention, threats from the nation’s self-
appointed moral guardians.) But she’s
gained a fair few fans for herself
as well, including US President Barrack
Obama. Now, even though she is forced
to move around with bodyguards in
armored cars, Mozdah is not giving up
anytime soon.
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