Surod e Istiqlal - (Independence song) | Qudrat Wasefi

Описание: This song was filmed in 2019 in Kabul, inside a small studio we built to learn recording and music production. It was one of the first children’s songs I composed for my students, and they were truly part of its creation. This song belongs to them as much as it belongs to me.

Their curiosity shaped the music. They asked questions that still stay with me: Why is there war in Afghanistan? Why don’t those in power care about people, about children? Why were girls banned from singing in schools? There were many questions I didn’t have answers to then, and some I still struggle to answer now.

Being a child in Afghanistan is different. Many children begin working at a very young age. Some become the breadwinners of their families after losing parents to war, invasion, extremism, displacement, or forced and early marriages. Children grow up fast. They carry realities no child should have to carry.

This clip captures a quiet, intimate moment before recording—kids playing, laughing, and singing freely. I’m deeply grateful to our friend Samad Saba for documenting these moments.

“You” in the song refers to fundamentalists, extremists, and false leaders who steal children’s freedom, voices, and childhood.