BIOGRAPHY
Nadia Ghulam Dastgir was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1985. Her life, like that of many Afghan women, has been marked by the consequences of a brutal civil war, hunger, and the Taliban regime. These adversities could not stop her, and she managed to overcome them with her wit and courage. For 10 years, she disguised herself as a boy to be able to provide for her family.
Her sociable nature led her to collaborate with an NGO through which she arrived in Catalonia, her new home. Now, finally, she can do everything she always wished for: live in complete freedom, continue studying, and further her education to help her country and her family.
In 2016, she founded the association “Ponts per la Pau” (Bridges for Peace), which helps girls and boys in Kabul have a chance at life through education, despite the country’s situation.
Fully settled in Catalonia, Nadia wanted to share her story. She did so in collaboration with journalist Agnès Rotger in the novel “El Secret del meu turbant” (The Secret of My Turban, Edicions 62, 2010). The book was awarded the prestigious Prudenci Bertrana Prize in 2010 and received great acclaim from national and international literary critics after its translation into 16 languages.
The documentary play that bears her name, “Nadia,” performed by the protagonist herself under the careful direction of Carles Fernández Giua, reveals intimate and personal details of her difficult life in war-torn Kabul. This theatrical work has also been successful and continues to be performed both in and outside of our country.
The literary production related to Nadia’s story expanded with the publication, together with Joan Soler i Amigó, of the book “Contes que em van curar” (Tales That Healed Me, Columna, 2014), a beautiful collection of stories her mother told her in the hospital during her recovery from the wounds caused by the bomb that changed her life.
Subsequently, together with Javier Diéguez, she published her second novel, “La primera estrella de la nit” (The First Star of the Night, Plaza&Janés, 2016). It is a work based on Nadia’s first journey back to her homeland and focuses on the daily experiences of Afghan women fighters in a country that has been plagued by armed conflicts for over forty years.
Nadia’s solo debut as an author came with the story “El país dels ocells sense ales” (The Land of Birds Without Wings, La Galera, 2019) with illustrations by Mona Brunet. It is a delicate and poignant tale about war and its consequences.
Following the return of the Taliban regime to her country, Nadia has written “Somiant la Pau” (Dreaming of Peace, Rosa dels vents, 2022), a female perspective on the present and future of her country.
Currently, Nadia works as a Social Educator at Fundaesplai and gives lectures on various topics both locally and internationally. She is a peace activist and advocate for women’s rights.