Our Afghan Neighbors: New Exhibit in Appleton Builds Cultural Understanding

Farahnaz (Farah) Asghari, a group program specialist with World Relief Wisconsin, wants her new neighbors in the Fox Valley community to know more about her beloved Afghan homeland and its rich culture than what they see in the media.

That’s why a year ago she readily agreed to collaborate on an oral history project with Dustin Mack, the chief curator of the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton. The project involved interviews with eight Afghans, including Farah, who challenged the stereotypical image of Afghanistan depicted in the news.

“It’s important to me that the world has a chance to see that Afghanistan has a bright side. All people know is the war and violence and the dark,” said Farah, who interviewed the project participants in Dari, the Afghan dialect of Persian.

Their stories and chilling accounts of escaping Afghanistan are the basis for the very personal exhibition at the Castle, which opens Thursday, Sept. 19 and remains on display for three months. After that, the traveling pop-up exhibit will be available free of charge to schools, businesses and other organizations.

World Relief is one of the 10 nonprofit refugee resettlement agencies that has a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State to help refugees and immigrants rebuild their lives in the U.S. World Relief Wisconsin welcomed 181 Afghan evacuees in the Fox Cities.

“The History Museum is thrilled to partner with World Relief on this project. Together we can capture history as it happens and help to build a sense of belonging. History is not always pleasant, but making personal connections within our community can lead to a brighter future,” Mack said.

Farah’s story

Before fleeing to American, Farah worked with the U.S. government in an educational and cultural center in Herat, one of the largest cities of Afghanistan.

“It was a beautiful city. It is called the city of civilization. Many famous poets and writers lived there,” she said.

When the Taliban came, she fled first for Kabul and a month later to the U.S.

“We couldn’t live in Afghanistan anymore because there was no hope. We lost our jobs. Our lives were in danger. We didn’t know what would happen if we stayed in Afghanistan,” Farah explained. 

She added that as an ambassador she always shares that the people of Afghanistan are diverse.

“The most important thing is that there are a lot of different cultures within the Afghan culture … different traditions, different family customs. We are not all the same,” she said.

Community connections

A major objective of Our Afghan Neighbors is to help integrate the Afghan refugees into the local community.

“It is important that we hear these stories directly from the Afghan community to maintain their dignity and humanize news headlines that are often so impersonal,” said Nou Huse, Fox Valley site director.

The exhibit also shows the connections between local, national and international history.

“National affairs and international events make an impact locally. The oral history interviews and exhibition capture local history and document its relevance in a global context,” said Matt Carpenter, the History Museum’s executive director.

Support for Our Afghan Neighbors came from several community sources. Ken Grode, a local philanthropist, sponsored the exhibition. In-kind contributions from Graham Images and FastSigns helped to produce the exhibit, and Amcor made a financial donation to the project.

The History Museum at the Castle is located at 330 E. College Ave. and open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults and $7.50 for children. For more information, please visit https://myhistorymuseum.org/exhibits/.