"Aalist Afghanist" Exhibition Opens in Herat with Hundreds of Female Participants

The exhibition opened on Saturday, June 8th, at the "Asman Hall" in Herat and is attended by female entrepreneurs from various provinces of Afghanistan to market and sell their domestic products.

In this exhibition, handicrafts of women are displayed in 65 booths. A variety of products, including clothing, food, detergents, decorative items, pottery, hand-woven carpets, and paintings are on display at the exhibition. Party dresses have been among the most visited booths so far.

Hafiza Amiri, the organizer of the exhibition, said that the purpose of holding it is to support domestic production and create job opportunities for women. She stated: "We want to introduce our people to the domestic products of their country. So that one day both the producer and the consumer will be our dear people."

Female entrepreneurs from the provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Jalalabad, Laghman, and Kandahar have also participated in the exhibition and have displayed various types of cosmetics and women's jewelry. Female entrepreneurs consider participation in such exhibitions an opportunity to sell their valuable and rare products, but they complain about the lack of access to global markets and low sales.

Some visitors also found such exhibitions useful and stated that at a time when Afghan women are deprived of the right to work and education, these exhibitions provide them with the opportunity to grow and flourish. One of the visitors told the media that women, by participating in small businesses, are trying to fight against restrictions and house arrest.

This comes as the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on girls and women over the past two years. Currently, girls and women are deprived of going to school and university, and these Taliban actions have caused millions of girls to be out of school. Women and girls are also banned from going to sports clubs, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a mahram, working in domestic and international NGOs and even UN offices in Afghanistan.