Like Metallica, Ennio Morricone and Paul McCartney: Afghan Institute wins the Polar award
Anim was founded in 2010 to give hope to young Afghans and save the country's musical tradition. The focus on the most disadvantaged children and girls in particular. Between 1996 and 2001 the Taliban banished all forms of music. Founder: such a prestigious award "is not just an honor for me, but a great achievement for the whole country".
Stockholm (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Afghanistan National Institute of Music (Anim) has won the famous Polar 2018 music award in recognition of the way in which this inspiring organization used the power of music to transform the lives of young people ". Together with the institute, the "visionary" founder and director, Ahmad Sarmast, who was returned to Kabul in 2008, was also awarded.
The prize was announced by the awarding committee. The group will be presented together with Metallica on June 14 by the Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf, at the Stockholm Concert Hall, and will receive a gift of one million Swedish crowns, about 100 thousand euros.
Sarmast founded Anim in 2010 to counter the devastation that the war has inflicted on the country's centuries old musical tradition. In the 1980s the pop music industry and the film industry were growing, enriched by hundreds of bands and a radio orchestra playing Western and Afghan instruments. Silence fell on Afghanistan when the Taliban took power in 1996 and banned music. Anim has created a safe and stimulating environment for students of all sexes, ethnic groups, religious affiliations and socio-economic status. In particular, the institute focuses on disadvantaged children in Afghanistan, including orphans, street vendors and girls.
Interviewed by Billboard, Sarmast commented that he was "honored for this important award, but the most important thing is that for the first time such a prestigious award has arrived in Afghanistan. It is not just an honor for me, but a great result for the whole country ". He then expressed the hope that the prize would sensitize the institute and its mission, namely "rebuilding the lives of Afghan children through musical education".
The award was founded in 1989 by Abba producer Stig Anderson, and previous winners include: Sting, Elton John, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Ennio Morricone, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Bruce Springsteen.
.png)
14/10/2016 19:37
