Flipboard Culture Desk on Nostr: In 2012, Zakia Mohammadi and Zahra Hussaini met at 18 years old in Bamyan, ...

In 2012, Zakia Mohammadi and Zahra Hussaini met at 18 years old in Bamyan, Afghanistan, and became fast friends — bonding over bicycling, which was a taboo sport for women. In the years that followed, with the Taliban in hiding, they began teaching other girls how to cycle, entered races and established a team, with the support of Shannon Galpin, an American activist. They came up with a slogan, "Haq Barai Radan" — Right to Ride. In 2021, the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan and the country once again fell into the control of the Tailban. Bicycling magazine tells the story of cycling for girls in Afghanistan: That brief, beautiful period where girls like Zakia and Zahra fought for the right to ride and the freedom that came with it, and what happened next. "[Cycling] is the one sport that is intrinsically tied to women’s rights,” Shannon says. “It represents independent mobility.”

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#Culture #Lifestyle #Afghanistan #Cycling #Bicycles #Taliban #WomensRights