Murals of Memory and Dialogue - Incite at Columbia University

Incubated Project

Murals of Memory and Dialogue

Mural in Switzerland

Under Taliban rule, Afghan cultural expression is being systematically erased. Yet stories, memories, and traditions persist. 

Murals of Memory & Dialogue creates space for those stories to be seen and heard. This participatory art project brings together Afghan youth and diaspora communities to co-create murals and digital narratives that preserve collective memory and spark conversation across generations.

Through workshops and interactive sessions, youth participants co-design murals that reflect their personal and shared histories. Each mural connects to digital stories through QR codes, allowing global audiences to access video testimonials and authentic Afghan voices. The project trains local facilitators to continue this work independently, ensuring the initiative lives on beyond its initial phase. In the face of suppression, Murals of Memory & Dialogue offers a platform for healing, resilience, and civic empowerment.
 

Team Lead

  • 0
    Omaid Sharifi

    Omaid Sharifi is an artivist and curator, as well as the President of ArtLords—a movement of self-styled artivists who utilize art for positive social transformation, supporting at-risk artists and advocating for artistic freedom worldwide.

0
0
0
0
00
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

More Projects

  • go to Cartographies of Massacres: Visual and Spatial Methods in Human Rights Research
    Cartographies of Massacres: Visual and Spatial Methods in Human Rights Research
    This project examines how communities process generational trauma by combining human rights research with innovative visual and spatial methods, focusing on massacres in Israel/Palestine between 1947 and 1949. Part of the Hard Questions Grant
  • go to Field Notes from a Preservation Station
    Field Notes from a Preservation Station
    Field Notes from a Preservation Station is a Chicago-based initiative that treats food preservation as a public health imperative. This project addresses two interconnected challenges: the loss of traditional food knowledge and ongoing food insecurity. Part of Assembling Voices
  • go to Rebellious Neighborhoods
    Rebellious Neighborhoods
    Serbia is experiencing growing democratic erosion. In response, the Ministry of Space Collective has launched Rebellious Neighborhoods, an initiative that reclaims urban space, amplifies community struggles, and rebuilds civic participation from the ground up. Part of the Global Change Program
  • go to Silos
    Silos
    Farmers across the state now struggle with increased isolation and fewer resources. Silos is assembling a coalition to bridge the resource, network, and capacity gaps amongst farmer-led organizations and farmers in Mississippi. Part of Assembling Voices