A Creative Resistance From Afghanistan to Lesvos
The storytelling workshops at Legal Centre Lesvos began in 2019, when Afghan activist Nadia Ghulam created a space for women on the move to create stories together in a safe space outside of Moria camp, built on shared experiences, desires, and struggles. After Nadia left, the pandemic halted the workshops until 2025, when revived by Leila Bar Bari.
For years, Legal Centre Lesvos has been taking testimonies from survivors of border violence and what are known as pushbacks; violent and illegal returns – kidnappings, really – of people on the move from Greek land or waters towards Turkish territory. But testifying about state violence carries risks; some real and some perceived, leaving many too afraid to make official complaints.
Through storytelling, however, women can express their truths indirectly. Our fictional characters carry our realities: the violence we have faced as women, as Afghans, as migrants, as people forced into exile.
Here, we channel our own stories through imaginary characters, who bring to life the experiences we’ve endured and our continued struggle for survival.