LANGUAGE, LEGACY AND LANDEY
I'll make a tattoo from my lover's blood
And shame every rose in the green garden
These are the words of Malalai, the Afghan woman hero who led a band of men against the British in the battle of Maiwand in 1880. The expressive force of her sentiments are captured in the Pashto landey, a haiku-like poetic genre as alive today as it was in the 19th century, and long before that. Although once banned by the Taliban, these poems are crafted, memorized and sung widely in Afghanistan where oral recitation is revered. Among Afghans in the diaspora oral culture remains a potent means of communication, and for some women the only way to express themselves. Landey poetry has long been a significant conduit for freedom of expression in Afghanistan.
The Language, Legacy and Landey project (LLL) will edit and translate old landey poems collected by the Norwegian linguist Georg Morgenstierne (1892–1978), collect new landeys from Afghans in Norway and elsewhere, and organise a number of scholarly and public events in Oslo and other Norwegian cities, starting in spring 2018.
Go to www.landey.org for an update on current activities!
See also:
Launch at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Oslo
On February 8th the Embassy of Afghanistan in Oslo generously hosted the launch of our Language, Legacy and Landey project. We emphasised the importance of landey as a mode of free expression, as world literary heritage, and as a symbol of long-standing Norwegian-Afghan relations, through the work of Georg Morgenstierne.
See more here.
Pashto Landey readings on Tuesdays
If you are in Oslo, you are welcome to participate at our weekly landey readings.
See also our Pashto language page.
Landey events in Oslo during Afghanistan Week 2018
Afghanske landey-dikt på Litteraturhuset
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Velkommen til en kveld på Litteraturhuset med musikk, poesi, dans og litterær samtale. Bli med på en feiring av landey-dikt sammen med afghanske og norske poeter, afghanske musikere og dansere, og hele det norsk-afghanske samfunn!
PROGRAM
-
Ordstyrer: Yama Wolasmal
-
Innleder: Rachel Lehr
-
Diktersamtale: Erling Kittelsen & Noorseraj Safi
-
Musikk: Rashed Kohestani & co
-
Landeydialog: Sara Biabani & Amund Bjorsnes
-
Afghansk folkedans: Atan
-
Ungdomslandey: Høsna, Zala, Bashir, Hilai, Mamana, Zarpana, Rodwal, Halima, Pamir & Hameed
-
Afghanske landey: Parkha Atal, Dewa Babakarkhail, Ghulam Hazrat Ehsas & Jawid Rabani
BILDER FRA ARRANGEMENTET / PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT (1)
Language, Legacy and Landey: Kulturhuset i Oslo
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Welcome to an evening with Afghan music and poetry at Kulturhuset in Oslo. Celebrate Afghan landey poetry together with the Norwegian-Afghan community!
PROGRAM
-
Moderator: Hasina Shirzad
-
Introductory speeches: H.E. Ambassador Shukria Barakzai, Rachel Lehr, Noorseraj Safi
-
Landey performance: Hasina Shirzad, Amund Bjorsnes, Parkha Atal, Dewa Babakarkhail, Ghulam Hazrat Ehsas, Zarpana, Rodwal, Bashir & Høsna
-
Music: Afghan rabab
