Sosan Firooz Makes History As Afghanistan’s First Female Rapper

Sosan Firooz is making history as Afghanistan‘s first female rapper.

The 23-year-old Firooz breaks the traditional rules of Afghan women in a culture that looks down on female artists, according to The New York Daily News. The young rapper sings about the repression of women in Afghanistan’s conservative society, her hopes for peace in the country that has been torn apart by war, and also the misery she endured while living in Iran as a small child.

Despite the fact that some of her relatives have already shunned her, Afghanistan’s first female rapper feels that the best way for her to express herself is by taking the stage. Sosan’s father, Abdul Ghafar, even quit his job at a government-run electric department so that he can accompany her whenever she leaves home. The Tribune reports that Ghafar stated in an interview with the Associated Press:

“I am her secretary, answering her phones. I am her bodyguard, protecting her. When she’s out, I must be with her. Every parent must support their daughters and sons to help them progress.”

Firooz and her family also spent time in Pakistan as refugees before they returned to Afghanistan seven years ago. The young rapper recalled:

“I remember while we were in Iran, we were called ‘dirty Afghans’ and told to go to the back of the line at the bakery.”

When Sosan Firooz takes the stage, she pleads, “Listen to my story! Listen to my pain and suffering!” She also sings:

“When war started in our country, there were bullets, artillery, rockets. All our trees were burned down. The war forced us to leave our country. We are hopeful for the future in our country. and we request that our neighboring countries leave us alone.”

The young Afghani rapper’s message to her fellow countrymen is to stay in their homeland because those who leave will just get jobs washing dishes or working at a car wash. In a staccato style, she raps, “They will miss their homeland. They will want to kiss the dust of their homeland.”

Sosan Firooz’s song, “Our Neighbors,” has been released on YouTube, showing the young female rapper posing in a series of pictures wearing hip-hop style gear. In some pictures, she is even seen wearing a bandana with skulls and no headscarf.

What do you think of Afghanistan’s first female rapper Sosan Firooz’s debut track “Our Neighbors?”

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