Hazara Culture Day Showcases Resilience Amid Historical Persecution
Kabul celebrated Hazara Culture Day on May 21 with a vibrant exhibition of traditional crafts, foods, and clothing, while human rights groups highlight ongoing threats to the ethnic minority that has faced centuries of targeted violence.
The one-day cultural exhibition in Kabul featured over 40 booths, 80% managed by Hazara women, displaying intricate embroidery, regional dishes like Hazara qurutob (yogurt-based bread salad), and distinctive handwoven attire, Khaama Press reported. Organizer Zahra emphasized its economic empowerment role for women barred by Taliban from formal employment.
This celebration contrasts with the Taliban’s continued exclusion of Hazara cultural events from official calendars. Historically, the Hazara – predominantly Shia Muslims in Sunni-majority Afghanistan – have endured systemic violence since the 19th-century massacres by Emir Abdul Rahman that killed over 60% of their population.
The persecution has continued into modern times, with some prominent examples including: The 2021 Taliban offensive targeting Hazara districts in Daykundi and Ghazni; ISIS-K suicide attacks on Hazara schools and mosques (2022-2024); and forced displacement from ancestral lands in Uruzgan.
UN reports document 18 verified attacks on Hazara communities in 2024 alone. Despite constituting 10-20% of Afghanistan’s population, Hazaras remain underrepresented in governance and face employment discrimination under Taliban rule.
“Such cultural events are acts of resistance,” said Marzia, a Kabul attendee, noting youth reconnecting with heritage. The diaspora simultaneously hosted celebrations in Australia, Canada, and the EU, where Hazara asylum seekers comprise over 50% of Afghanistan’s refugee applications due to ongoing threats.
Human Rights Watch recently condemned the Taliban’s dismantling of Hazara memorials while permitting destruction of their historical sites – a pattern echoing pre-Taliban eras when Hazara cultural symbols were systematically erased.
