Across Afghanistan, women and girls continue to resist the systematic denial of their fundamental rights with extraordinary courage and creativity. Through art, words, music, and collective action, they continue to assert their humanity despite attempts to silence and erase them.
The Istanbul Gender Museum, in cooperation with Rawadari, Femena, and EarthSky Solidarity, invites individuals, collectives, artists, activists, educators, and organizations worldwide to stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan by contributing to Connecting Voices, Strengthening Solidarity—an international exhibition and digital platform dedicated to global feminist solidarity.
We welcome contributions in any creative form, including:
- Short video messages
- Photographs
- Illustrations and visual art
- Music or sound pieces
- Poetry or written reflections
- Performances or other creative expressions of solidarity
Submissions are currently accepted on a rolling basis.
Deadline: 20 September 2026
To submit your contribution, please upload your files via the Google Form:
For questions about the open call, please contact: info@istanbulgendermuseum.org
Your contribution may express solidarity, bear witness, reflect on feminist resistance, or imagine more just and hopeful futures. Whether personal or collective, every contribution sends a powerful message that the women and girls of Afghanistan are not alone.
Connecting Voices, Strengthening Solidarity, is inspired by the extraordinary acts of creative resistance shown by women and girls in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The project builds on the #Power2AfghanWomen campaign launched in 2024 by Rawadari and Femena in response to laws repressing women and criminalizing their voices in public life. Together, we stand against the systematic erasure of women and strengthen international feminist solidarity.
We invite you to add your voice. Every contribution helps amplify the voices of Afghan women and girls, foster meaningful connections across borders, and affirm our shared commitment to equality, dignity, and justice.
Submission Guidelines
Contributions from individuals, collectives, organizations, educators, activists, artists and allies worldwide are welcome and may be submitted in the following formats:
- Video messages: up to 2 minutes (MP4 or MOV preferred)
- Images: JPEG or PNG, high resolution preferred
- Audio: MP3 or WAV
- Written contributions: Poetry, reflections, or short texts in Word or PDF format
- Other creative works: If your contribution is in another format, please contact us to discuss submission options.
We welcome contributions in any language. English subtitles for videos or English translations of written or audio contributions are appreciated where possible, but are not required.
Please include, where applicable:
- Your name, or your preferred pseudonym
- City/Country (optional)
- Title of the work (if applicable)
- A brief description of your contribution (50–100 words)
We recognize that visibility may involve personal risk. If you prefer, you may submit your contribution anonymously or under a pseudonym. You may also choose to conceal your identity by obscuring your face, altering your voice, or otherwise anonymizing your material.
We will respect your preferred form of attribution and take reasonable measures to protect your privacy throughout the project.
Participation: Free of charge
Copyright and Use of Submitted Materials
By submitting your contribution, you confirm that:
- you are the creator of the material or have obtained all necessary permissions to share it;
- your submission does not knowingly infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.
You retain full copyright and ownership of your work.
Contributors may request the removal of their work from future project activities by contacting the project partners at any time.
Selected contributions will become part of an international digital exhibition and may also be featured in future physical exhibitions, public programs, educational activities, and advocacy initiatives developed by the project partners. By participating, you grant the project partners a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display, publish, and communicate your contribution solely for the purposes of this project, including:
- the online exhibition,
- traveling exhibitions,
- educational activities,
- research,
- project documentation,
- public presentations,
- project-related communication and promotional materials.
Your work will not be sold or used for commercial purposes.
