Mozhda Amiri, aka Helen. Courtesy of the artist.
Mozhda Amiri, aka Helen, (b. 2001) is an Afghan dancer who is currently an Artists at Risk (AR)-Centre National de la Danse (CND) Paris Resident in Paris, France.
Helen graduated from the Department of Dramatic Arts at Kabul University in 2018. Since childhood, she has been fond of the traditional dances of her country. During her university studies, Helen visited northern villages on weekends to learn local dances from the women and join them in traditions and events. Despite the prohibition on women working in the cultural field, Helen created and organised cultural and artistic programmes for women and girls who had been deprived of art and dance in her home village of Mirbache Kot. Through her work, she was also able to protect some women in need.
Helen is also a photographer and videographer, despite these professions being banned and even life-threatening if discovered by the authorities in Afghanistan.
After escaping Afghanistan, Mozhda Amiri, aka Helen, has been an Artists at Risk (AR)-CND Paris Resident. The AR-CND Paris Residency is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and through donations. The residence is organised in cooperation with the Fanak Fund, Paris, France.
