International Comitee for the Salvation of the Cultural Heritage of Afghanistan, a non-profit, non-gouvernemental, independant organization. Pasadena, Californie, USA.

Mehria Rafiq Mustamandy, co-founder and president, answers.

 

In the past, what had been your relations with Afghanistan?

I am a native of Afghanistan. My family and I came to the United States in 1980 when our homeland was occupied by the forces of the former Soviet Union. I was married to an Afghan scholar and Archaeologist, Dr. Chaibai Mustamandy. My husband was the former Director General of Afghan Institute of Archaeology and Preservation of Historical Monuments as well as the President of UNESCO International Center for Kushan Studies.

What is your current relationship with Afghanistan?

I am the co-founder and the president of the International Committee for the Salvation of the Cultural Heritage of Afghanistan (ICSCHA), a non-profit, non-governmental, independent organization, in Pasadena, California. ICSCHA was initiated by Dr. Mustamandy at the conclusion of Gandharan Art Conference in Cambridge, England in 1992 in order to form a support team to safeguard ancient treasures of Afghanistan from further looting. After the death of Dr. Mustamandy, the Committee was reorganized under my leadership with the institutional support of Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California in 1993.

The Committee, among others, is committed to raising awareness about the richness of the cultural of Afghanistan, as well as the vulnerability of that nation's ancient artifacts. I have been involved in various national and international initiatives aiming to preserve Afghan art from further destruction and looting since the creation of this Committee. One of the latest efforts of this Committee was the joint sponsorship of an international symposium held at Pacific Asia Museum in October of 1999 focusing on the glory of archaeological past of Afghanistan as well as that nation' s recent plunder. A resolution calling for the creation of an Afghan Art Advisory Council (AAAC) to bring together various agencies and political groups who have a stake in preserving Afghanistan's cultural heritage was adopted at the conclusion of the symposium.

I am also the President and the co-founder of Afghan women's Association of Southern California (AWASC), for the last five years. Our members are actively involved in the protection of the women's rights in Afghanistan in view of the Taleban's educational and social policies for women.

What do you think of the actions carried out during these last twenty years to preserve his archaeological heritage?

The unscrupulous smuggling, illicit excavation, lawlessness, lack of political stability and the collapse of the social infrastructure have all been major contributing factors to the plunder and ravage of Afghanistan archaeological heritage during the last twenty years. The world in general turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by various forces in that land resulting in the total loss of the Kabul Museum collection as well as the destruction and smuggling of countless other artifacts. The responsible authorities not only did not take any action to protect the Museum during the armed conflict, but instead in certain instances they join hands with local and international crooks in burning, looting and destroying Afghanistan's historical past. Until this date there is no clear guidelines in protecting and preserving what is left from Afghanistan's ancient past. A major international campaign is needed in order to finance as well as to facilitate professional initiatives to safeguard what is left on the ground and what can be preserved inside Afghanistan.

What are your future projects in Afghanistan? Are you ready to engage the means or new programmes to safeguard his heritage?

Our organization will continue its efforts to raise awareness on the condition of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan at the national level as well as international scope. It will also encourage major international organizations to take an added responsibility in protecting the ancient art of Afghanistan. We will follow the guidelines set forth at the Afghan symposium last October in order to coordinate the efforts of all advocacy groups involved in this issue. This Committee is a major supporter of the establishment of Afghanistan Museum in Switzerland to act as a temporary shelter for Afghan art until political stability prevails in that land. We are committed to engage in any initiatives to safeguard this heritage.

Hope this is sufficient for your coverage.

Sincerely yours,

Mehria Rafiq Mustamandy

ICSCHA