PRIO was delighted to be the venue for the May 2012 meeting of the Oslo Mushaira, a monthly event where Afghan professional and amateur poets gather to share their work. The meeting was attended by over forty Afghans resident in Norway, including Her Excellency Manizha Bakhtari, Afghan Ambassador to the Nordic Countries.

Visiting researcher at PRIO, Dr Ceri Oeppen was a guest at the event and said “At a time when there is so much focus on sad or dangerous events in Afghanistan it was very special to see such a positive cultural event. It was especially nice to see the way in which young Afghan poets were given so much support and encouragement by the more experienced poets there”.

The Oslo Mushaira is organized by poet Ajmal Attak Yousafzay and colleagues. Some participants later joined in with a focus group discussion for PRIO’s PREMIG project.