Q. Farida Tarana, you are famous among people as a singer. Why did you suddenly decide to enter politics?

Most people believe that music and politics are separate, but I think that in Afghanistan, it is easier for a woman to be a politician than a singer. My entrance to the world of music was risky and unconventional, and I was the first woman to accept that risk.

My basic plan was to enter politics through music; in our traditional society where women singers are insulted and humiliated, it is difficult to be a politician. But I swam against the tide, so to speak.

Of course I loved music and still do, but from the beginning, my aim was to enter politics. When I was living as a refugee in Iran, I worked as an activist in the largest socio-political organization of Afghans in Iran. When I returned, I started to work with an international welfare organization. Therefore, I can say that I didn’t suddenly enter to politics.

Q. We have had women singers in the past; your entrance to the world of music as a women was not unique. Why do you think that you are the first woman to swim against the tide?

I agree that women singers have a long history in Afghanistan, but in the very traditional province where I live – Herat, it was very difficult for someone like me to break into the world of music.

Q. Now that you have entered politics, what do you see as similarities and differences between music and politics in Afghanistan?

Well, considering our traditional Afghan society, we cannot easily compare these two spheres, but I think, for a woman it is the same sort of challenge, whether she becomes a singer or a politician. We have to change the traditional way of thinking about women in our country. I believe that if I didn’t dare to enter politics from the world of music, we would continue with this idea that it is taboo for a female singer to run for elections.

Q. What do you think of the public’s attitude towards you? Will people support you?

I think, fortunately, the situation is much changed now. When I ran for provincial council elections last year, I won a large number of votes from the citizens of Kabul. When I saw the large number of votes that I had received, I realized that there are people in Afghanistan who can accept me and people like me. Now many young women are running for the upcoming parliamentary elections, so we can be optimistic.

Q. You are a citizen of Herat, but why did you run from Kabul?

The atmosphere in Herat is very different from Kabul. We have a traditional and closed society in Herat, but as a woman I can easily work in Kabul. People do not view a woman singer as negatively in Kabul. In Herat, people think that it is a shame for them to vote for a woman singer. So I am running from Kabul, and of course in the past, I have received good results from Kabul. 

Q. You had a costly campaign in last year’s provincial elections, who or which entity supported you?

I was an employee of a private bank (Kabul Bank) last year. This bank paid a part of my campaign expenses. I paid the other parts of my expenses myself.

Q. In return, what did Kabul Bank expect you to do for it?

Kabul Bank paid my campaign expenses because I was an employee of the bank, but it didn’t expect me to do anything specific for it. 

Q. You have not worked for provincial council even for a year, why are you now running for parliament?

My candidacy in the provincial council was a test for me. Before the provincial council elections, I didn’t know whether people would vote for me or not, but when I saw that a large number of people did vote for me, I decided to run for Parliament.

Q. Do you think that your presence in the provincial council will help you succeed in the parliamentary elections?

If I had run first for Parliament, it would have been very challenging for me to run a good election campaign. It was very difficult to convince the traditional Afghan electorate to vote a woman singer. Therefore, my experience in the provincial council during the short time that I have been there provided a good opportunity for me to get to know more people and build relationships with them. Now the provincial council, including its head, supports my candidacy.

Q. In your opinion, compared to the first parliamentary election, can we see any change in people’s views about the importance of Parliament since the first parliamentary elections in 2005?

If you look at campaign posters and billboards, you can see that a large number of young people are running for election. This show that now Afghan youth feels more responsibility for the country’s fate. Now most people know that parliament is a significant branch of the government. This shows an increase in awareness among the people.

Q. What are your goals and your campaign platform? What will you do after you became a parliamentarian?

After gaining power and becoming a member of parliament, which I think is a very important and effective branch of government; I want to work for youth. We have a large number of talented young people, but have no one to support them. Billions of dollars have been spent in Afghanistan, but we see no significant change in peoples’ lives. If we had spent these large sums efficiently, we would have been able to make the situation much better. So if I succeed, working for youth and supporting the youth is my fundamental aim. 

Q. What has been the main challenge? Why have we not been able to bring significant change in the situation of our country during the past nine years?

I think opportunist and corrupt people – government officials and members o Parliament --  who think traditionally cannot meet our country’s needs today.. The presence of such people has been the main cause of our failure. The Parliament has made no move over the past five years to improve the situation of young people.