Despina Papadopoulos

Mapping Creative Industries in Bamiyan

I was commissioned by UNESCO in Afghanistan to map the Creative Industries in the Bamiyan Province, one of the most spectacular and creative places in Afghanistan, and develop a list of recommendations and action plan for incubating a Creative Community Hub in the region.

To do so I developed a methodology that brought together observational ethnography, community engagement and a deep respect for the resilient and free spirit of the Bamiyan people that so generously worked with me on this mapping.

Together we developed a list of recommendations on how to support existing initiatives and structures, how to revive practices like dance and music that were suppressed during the region’s turbulent history, how to nurture radio journalism, but more importantly, how to develop new connections and conversations across practices and people. 

Please contact us if you are interested in our report and doing similar work with communities to connect their past with their future in forward looking, equitable ways. We would love to share our work and what we learned in the process.

This work was only possible with the trust and collaboration of Nazifa Noor from Unesco, Kabul, and the tireless, positive energy and deep community relations of Ghulam Reza from Unesco, Bamiyan.