Farkhunda Malikzada
"We Will Make the Change..."
In 2015, a beautiful young lady was brutally beaten and burned to death in Kabul, Afghanistan. That lady’s name was Farkhunda Malikzada.
Being a student of the Koran, Farkhunda got into a dispute with a man selling charms outside a mosque. Her argument was that selling things outside of their place of worship was not good. He, along with others, then falsely accused her of blasphemy.
What took place after that was that an angry mob of men beat her to a pulp and burned her alive.
I remember reading this story and how my heart sank. When I kept reading, I found something that gave me hope. After Farkhunda’s murder, a protest erupted in Kabul. A huge protest of both men and women, protesting Sharia Law and the brutal treatment of Farkhunda.
The demonstration was so big that it caught the attention of the news stations in the U.S. I remember reading that one of the female protesters was interviewed, and she said that they could no longer wait for other people to fix their situation. She said that if there was a change to be made, the people had to make it. They would have to make the change.
That immediately resonated in my spirit, and that same day I got the news, December 26th, 2015, a new song was born.
The song ‘Farkhunda’ turned out to be something of an anthem the way it was written and performed. All I wrote was the music and chorus. I then sent it to my dear friend and brother, Austin Antoine, and he wrote something of a hybrid between rap and spoken word poetry over it. Then my band, Current Personae and I got into the studio to record it live. After that, we added extra vocals, a choir from my alma mater, strings, and horns. The rest is history.
My heart has always been to get this song into the hands of those protesting. I found social media groups online, and even spoke with some people who had a loose connection with Farkhunda, but to no avail.
For whatever it is worth, I still pray that this small offering will go forth and accomplish whatever it is supposed to accomplish.
It’s been a while since I’ve done it live, but my crew and I will be performing this on July 7th, 2023 at Oakland First Fridays. If you’re in the Bay Area, I’d love to see you there.
“Hold the light, and lead the way
From the darkest night, to the brightest day
Farkhunda won’t be in vain
We will make the change…”
