A Film by Paul Fitzgerald & Elizabeth Gould
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The Story: As the first Afghan refugee to come to the US in 1978, Sima Wali transformed herself from victim to advocate. As President of Refugee Women in Development (RefWID), Inc. she worked for decades to empower uprooted women around the world to assert their rights and participate in their own economic and social development. Today Wali is one of the most vital and respected Afghans around the world.
In October of 2002 Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald, the first American journalists to get behind Soviet lines in 1981, filmed Wali’s first return to Kabul since her exile. As a human rights expert for the empowerment of refugee women, Wali went to run a capacity building workshop for indigenous Afghan women-led organizations. As a woman in exile herself, Wali also went to reconnect to the ground of her own empowerment as a young women growing up in Afghanistan. The Woman in Exile Returns, the film about Wali’s journey home, will give Americans the chance to discover one Afghan’s vision for her people. The only way to bring stability and peace to this vital region is through the rebuilding of Afghan civil society based on tolerance and democracy.
Running time: 58 minutes 2004 Click here to watch.
Viewers Comment: “This story is timeless!” “Awesome… It was filled with real hope.” “A universal story of how women use their strength in a positive way.”