Hector Vila: Reading Edward Said in Rwanda

I’ve never sidestepped the realities of students’ lives, no teacher can, and shouldn’t — I could, however, work alongside students to locate their lived experiences in an academic setting, exposing them to the language of exile, and thus initiate an exploration of their place in an always changing, hostile world.

Hector Vila: In exile: The essential sadness of home?

Samimah tells us that “I have finally developed the ability to embrace whatever changes life throws my way. I have learned not to tie my happiness to one thing, person, or place. I do not tie the sense of home to one physical location, one thing or one pe … (read more)

Hector Vila: Witnessing a journey into exile

As I write this, I’m on my way to Kigali, Rwanda, where I will be among young, exiled Afghans attending the SOLA School (School of Leadership, Afghanistan) for seven weeks, teaching two three-week courses in Writing, first for seniors and then for ninth t … (read more)

Eight Afghan women flee Taliban to make a better life in Middlebury

The journey taken by these young women, ages 19-24, is one that some might say personifies grit, determination and courage.

Learn about Afghan folk song, resistance

Tabasum Wolayat Niroo, a 2012 Women’s and Gender Studies major at Middlebury College, will be giving a virtual lecture, “Afghan Women’s Song: Lament and Resistance” on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Afghan student fears for family back home

When Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15, Jamila stayed up all night in Bridport, watching the news and talking to her family.

Eric Davis: How the refugee program works

Last week, Gov. Phil Scott announced that up to 100 Afghan refugees would be resettled in Vermont over the next few months, as part of a cooperative program among the federal government, state governments, and nongovernmental refugee resettlement organiza … (read more)

Midd grad and her female students flee Afghanistan

MIDDLEBURY — On Aug. 20, as thousands of Afghans desperate to leave the country converged on the airport in Kabul — and Taliban fighters, who had taken over the city just five days before, tried to stop them with threats and violence and hastily erected c … (read more)

Eric Davis: How the refugee program works

Last week, Gov. Phil Scott announced that up to 100 Afghan refugees would be resettled in Vermont over the next few months, as part of a cooperative program among the federal government, state governments, and nongovernmental refugee resettlement organiza … (read more)

Somewhere in Afghanistan, my friend is hiding

I’ve been emailing with a friend I once worked with, a musician who’s in hiding in Afghanistan. He helped me a lot, years ago when we worked together out of Kabul on a project, and now I don’t know how to help him at all. I’m not even sure it’s safe to sh … (read more)

Editorial: Biden’s speech on Afghanistan

Here is the full transcript of President Joe Biden’s speech Tuesday night on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.“Last night in Kabul, the United States ended 20 years of war in Afghanistan. The longest war in American history. We c … (read more)

Letter to the editor: Afghan families need our help

Over the Fourth of July weekend I had the opportunity to meet two college students from Afghanistan at a neighborhood gathering. Both were articulate, personable young people, both with bright futures and dark clouds over their horizons. They are out of t … (read more)

Letter to the editor: Biden right to withdraw troops

When President Biden announced the end to the Forever War in Afghanistan was near, I was elated. Over the past 20 years, we have seen countless troops serve in that conflict, and now troops who were not even born when the war began are fighting in it. Tha … (read more)