Malina Suliman is an artist hailing from Afghanistan. She makes mandalas at public parks, events, and weddings. The recent incidents in Afghanistan have shocked her. Those have made her anxious for her people and relatives, who are living in Afghanistan.
As a symbol of support and also as a means of expressing her grief and sorrow for the harrowing incidents that have befallen her country, Malina drew a flower mandala in the Stadswandelpark in Eindhoven last week.
Catastrophe in Afghanistan
“I’m heartbroken about the catastrophe that is taking place in Afghanistan, particularly painful are the scenes of terrified, and helpless Afghan men, women, and children, wanting to flee the horrors of the rule of Taliban,” Malina says. Most of all, she is worried about the condition of Afghan women under the Taliban. “Young men and women, the future of Afghanistan, who for the last 20 years have been working hard to fulfill their dreams of becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, programmer, especially young women, their dreams are shattered by the return of the Taliban. 50% of afghan women population would be wiped away, this is personally very painful for me, and for my afghan sisters and brothers,” she explains. She appeals to the rest of the world to stand up in support of these women.
Flowers to make the Mandala
7 years back, Malina arrived in the Netherlands and since then, she’s living in Eindhoven. In this project of making a mandala in the park, her neighbors and Dutch friends helped her immensely. “It is heartwarming that many of these persons who came up to help me, were unknown to me, and yet they were in full support of the people of Afghanistan,” Malina happily informs. Florist Pasmans, Bloemenhuis Purvis donated flowers to make the mandala.
Why mandala?
“The mandala is a universal symbol, that portrays that we are all one soul and part of the same energy,” Malina shares her thoughts with us. “The circle of mandala symbolizes that we are all connected and it allows us to share our energy in a spiritual way.” With this symbolic gesture, she offers her prayers and good wishes to the people of her country Afghanistan. She wishes them to stay strong, to never give up their right to basic freedoms, and rise above the slavery of the Taliban. “I’m encouraged to know that I’m not alone in my grief,” she says.
Source: Conversation with Malina Suliman
Written by Chaitali Sengupta
