On March 21st, the Afghan Voices of Hope project debuted a traveling exhibition in Paris, France as part of a week-long celebration of the Persian New Year (Nowruz). The team behind the project participated in Nowruz festivities. They collaborated with the Afghan community in Paris and with partners supporting refugees and exiles across France, including MADERA (Mission d'Aide au Développement des Economies) and AFRANE (Amite Franco-Afghane). Sharing its collection of stories from France in 2022, Afghan Voices of Hope worked with other stakeholders to use these testimonies in programming to help refugees across the country.

The exhibit launched at Salle Olympic de Gouges as part of a concert celebration on Nowruz day with talented artists from Collectif Amos and talented Afghan musicians, including Ali Arture, Surab Elyar, Mustafa Hunarjoo, Farzana Nawabi, Abdullah Rezai, Zigar Safi, and more. The event attracted over 1,000 attendees and Gaisu was invited onstage to introduce the audience to Afghan Voices of Hope and the exhibition.

Throughout the week, the Afghan Voices for Hope team spoke about the project to various stakeholders, including university students and community members. They also met with representatives from France’s national Musee de l’histoire de l’immigration and discussed the museum’s interest in a formal acquisition of stories collected within France. If approved, the stories collected from Afghan refugees living in France will become part of the museum’s collections.