Several poets of the world reacted to the bans that the Taliban have imposed on writing poetry and all kinds of art in Afghanistan. After the Taliban issued a decree on January 15, 2023, restricting the writing of poetry by Afghan poets, “Baamdaad – House of Poetry in Exile” published a call to all poets and artists of the world not to remain silent against the current situation in Afghanistan.
Baamdaad is a protest movement that started with the coming together of a group of world poets some time ago. Baamdaad appealed to the poets of the world to write poetry by publishing calls, writing poetry as a protest towards censorship, repression and restrictions imposed on Afghan artists. From the date of issuing this call until now, more than a hundred poets all over the world have sent their poems to Baamdaad and have shown their solidarity with the poets of Afghanistan!
As a follow-up to its earlier call, Baamdaad, on the eve of World Art Day, in cooperation with the Story House of Rotterdam, held a protest poetry night for Afghanistan on April 15, 2023, where a protest poetry was launched by “Baamdaad " and belvedere Rotterdam story House. The messages sent by poets from Canada, Japan, France, Italy, etc. were broadcast through video stream. Also, several poets who live in the Netherlands, presented their messages and poems in support of poets and against the restrictions imposed on Afghan artists.
It should be mentioned that these poems will be published in the form of a book soon in France. This sort of global solidarity with Afghan poets and artists is happening for the first time on such a big scale. The French Pen Association, the Argentine Pen Association, the International Poetry Festival of Rotterdam, the Literary Association of Contemporary Poets of Japan, Iowa University - World Writers Program, Studio de Bakkerij and the Belvedere story House in Rotterdam and Web Afghan in Japnan, are among the supporters of this protest movement as a result of the efforts of Baamdaad, House of Poetry in-Exile!