Guided Search: Human Rights, Asia

Can an immigrant’s story be universal in today’s America? To find out, Emmy-award winning performer Kayhan Irani excavates memory and experience to reconstruct a sense of belonging. Using video projections, live performance, and humor, Irani embodies characters from her journey and invites the audience to share their own stories. IJ curator Alex Shaw joins Irani as a guest artist.

Imagine . . . You were in charge and it was your job to bring peace to the world. What would you do?

Despite over a decade of American intervention, attempting to instill democratic and Western values in the country of Afghanistan, tensions between ethnic groups continue to plague the Afghan people and women continue to be submitted to some of the harshest treatment in the world.

Doctors Without Borders is coming to Philadelphia for a FREE panel discussion!

Prana International will present the workdone in India related to microfinance, poverty, and women’s empowerment. There will be several speakers talking about the combined work of Prana International and Emmanuel Ministries Calcutta. The Keynote speaker will be Mrs. Premila Pavamani, Co-founder and Executive Director Of Emmanuel Ministries Calcutta.

Hassina Sherjan is the founder and CEO of Aid Afghanistan for Education. An Afghan woman who left her country as a refugee in 1979, she returned to Afghanistan to establish underground classes for girls in 1999.

After the defeat of the Taliban, she participated in the reconstruction of the country, focusing on access to education for women and girls.

The Pakistani state is weak -- unable to fully control all of its own territory -- yet it has a sizable nuclear arsenal. It has been a significant ally of the United States in many respects, yet equally significant segments of the Pakistani population are increasingly Islamist and anti-American.

The National Constitution Center is proud to present, Fawzia Koofi, a leading candidate in the 2014 Afghan presidential elections and a noted activist for women and children’s rights. Ms. Koofi joins the Center for a powerful and moving conversation about her latest book, The Favored Daughter: One Woman’s Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future. The first female deputy speaker of Afghanistan's parliament, Koofi will discuss her life experiences and the political and cultural climate in a country caught between the hope of progress and the bitter truth of history.