Afghan Musicians to Recreate Their Famous School in Portugal
2021-12-18
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1Over 270 students and teachers from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music arrived with their families this week in Portugal.
2The Western European country has offered them asylum.
3As a group, they hope to rebuild their famous school in their new home.
4The group fled Afghanistan over a period of six weeks in October and November.
5First, they went to Doha, Qatar. They arrived Monday in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.
6Governments, companies and private donors paid for the group's evacuation and resettlement costs.
7Dr. Ahmad Sarmast is the institute's founder and director.
8On Monday, he said, "The arrival of the (institute's) community today means that the first and most important step of saving lives and ensuring freedom is now over."
9The musicians are among tens of thousands of Afghans who have fled since Taliban fighters seized Afghanistan in August.
10That is when the U.S. and NATO ended their 20-year military presence.
11The Afghanistan girls' youth soccer team has also resettled in Portugal.
12The country has taken in 764 Afghans since the summer.
13Afghanistan has a strong musical tradition.
14A popular music scene also had grown there over the past 20 years.
15But many musicians fear for their futures under the Taliban.
16The Afghanistan National Institute of Music was founded in 2010.
17It became well-known for its inclusiveness.
18It became a symbol of a new Afghanistan.
19Women and men studied together and performed to huge audiences in the United States and Europe.
20The school's campus in Kabul is now occupied by a Taliban group.
21Its bank accounts were seized.
22Its offices have been destroyed, former school officials say.
23The Afghan teachers and students plan to recreate the school in Portugal.
24This will permit the students to continue their education.
25The school will be part of a larger Lisbon-based center for Afghan culture that will continue to welcome exiles.
26I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Over 270 students and teachers from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music arrived with their families this week in Portugal. 2The Western European country has offered them asylum. As a group, they hope to rebuild their famous school in their new home. 3The group fled Afghanistan over a period of six weeks in October and November. First, they went to Doha, Qatar. They arrived Monday in Portugal's capital, Lisbon. Governments, companies and private donors paid for the group's evacuation and resettlement costs. 4Dr. Ahmad Sarmast is the institute's founder and director. On Monday, he said, "The arrival of the (institute's) community today means that the first and most important step of saving lives and ensuring freedom is now over." 5The musicians are among tens of thousands of Afghans who have fled since Taliban fighters seized Afghanistan in August. That is when the U.S. and NATO ended their 20-year military presence. 6The Afghanistan girls' youth soccer team has also resettled in Portugal. The country has taken in 764 Afghans since the summer. 7Afghanistan has a strong musical tradition. A popular music scene also had grown there over the past 20 years. But many musicians fear for their futures under the Taliban. 8The Afghanistan National Institute of Music was founded in 2010. It became well-known for its inclusiveness. It became a symbol of a new Afghanistan. Women and men studied together and performed to huge audiences in the United States and Europe. 9The school's campus in Kabul is now occupied by a Taliban group. Its bank accounts were seized. Its offices have been destroyed, former school officials say. 10The Afghan teachers and students plan to recreate the school in Portugal. This will permit the students to continue their education. The school will be part of a larger Lisbon-based center for Afghan culture that will continue to welcome exiles. 11I'm Ashley Thompson. 12Barry Hatton reported this story for the Associated Press. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr was the editor. 13____________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15evacuation -n. to leave or remove (someone) from a dangerous place 16scene -n. a particular area of activity that involves many people 17symbol -n. an action, object, event, that expresses or represents an idea or quality 18audience -n. a group of people who gather together to listen or see a performance or who watch a performance such as a movie 19campus -n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school or similar organization 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.