10,000 pink balloons to dot the Afghan capital for ‘oneness and peace’ this spring

18 Feb 2013

10,000 pink balloons to dot the Afghan capital for ‘oneness and peace’ this spring

KABUL - To capitalize the shared humanity and to spread the message of oneness and peace, over 10,000 pink balloons will be distributed to the people of Kabul in the spring of this year.

The distribution of balloons is a part of an international campaign that started two years ago in the Indian city of Bangalore and later rolled over to Yamaguchi (Japan) and Nairobi (Kenya). Kabul is the fourth city in this sequence of installations.

Addressing a press conference in Kabul today, the founder of the campaign, Yazmany Arboleda said that the launch of the campaign in Afghanistan would unite more than 10,000 people from around the world with the aim of bringing art, not war, to the streets of Kabul this spring.

“Ten thousand people will buy one pink balloon each for one dollar and the balloons they purchase will be gifted on their behalf to the citizens of Kabul as they head to work on a Saturday morning,” said Mr. Arboleda. “The sole request to the people who receive the balloons is that they hold on to them until they reach their place of work.”

"We Believe in Balloons" peace campaign launched in Kabul, 18 February 2013. Photo: UNAMA / Fardin Waezi

He said the purchase of the balloon would be online from the campaign website and buyers have been asked to upload a picture of their smile to the website, which is then added to a digital mural that will showcase the faces of all of the people who make the project possible. The mural would be accessible online and will also be printed on a large banner that would be exhibited in Kabul, he added.

“Figuratively, the balloons represent celebration. They make us think of the happy moments that punctuate our lives,” said Mr. Arboleda.

He also said that the non-choreographed parade of neon pink balloons in the heart of Kabul City will transform what spectators and city-dwellers would otherwise think as an ordinary daily morning commute into a sequence of unexpected celebrations.

Mr. Arboleda said that in Afghanistan different organizations including Centre for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan, Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University, Afghan Women’s Network, Young Women for Change, Afghan International Services, Sale Foundation, Kabul Street, Berang, Roya Film House and Parwaz Puppet Theatre among many other organizations are partnering in this project.

He said that the day for the distribution of balloons would not be announced in advance so that the people of Kabul could be given a surprise.

He said that the balloons would be distributed through 100 volunteers at different points of Kabul City.

Mr. Arboleda also said that workshops, conferences, seminars, discussions and different other shows would also be organized in Aril this year in Kabul as part of the campaign wherein certain topics related to the arts would be contemplated.

"We Believe in Balloons" peace campaign launched in Kabul, 18 February 2013. Photo: UNAMA / Fardin Waezi

Speaking on the occasion, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Taimoor Shah Eshaqzai, said that the Afghan youth would spread the message of peace through these balloons.

“The campaign will give Afghan youth a sense of responsibility towards the future of the country and awareness about their role against corruption, drugs and other social evils,” said Mr. Rashidi.

He said it was important for the youth of Afghanistan to get organized and fight social evils. He said Afghanistan currently has over one million drug addicts, mostly youth. Similarly, four million people are jobless and youth constitutes its majority again, he added.

A representative of the Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), Nasima Umari said that the youth in Afghanistan would give a message of peace to the world by attaching themselves to this international movement.

The Executive Director of Centre for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAF), Rahrawo Umarzad said that the campaign had a human loving message and a colour of unity and brotherhood.

Similarly, the head of Roya Film House, Roya Sadaat, said the Afghan people had been through decades of tragedies and could not focus on such civil movements. We can learn from this international movement a lot for our future activities, she added.

By UNAMA Kabul