Nazanin Tavakoli: I am happy in Sweden, I felt imprisoned in Afghanistan

Some plants do not grow in some places, but they may grow and bloom in other places because the soil is not suitable for cultivation. This is how some people cannot grow in some countries while they grow and develop in other countries. And many of the immigrants who moved to live in Sweden are the biggest evidence of this. Nazanin Tavakoli is an Afghani who grew up in Iran, but she was unable to complete her university studies in Iran due to customs, traditions and family laws. Today Nazanin is the mayor of the Afghan community. She then has the ability to gather Afghans from all over Sweden to go out and march in demonstrations to demand the rights of the Afghan people and the freedom of Afghan women. Nazanin works as a project manager in Sensus, in addition to teaching Swedish to newcomers. - I moved with my family to Iran immediately after my birth. I studied high school in Iran, but I could not continue my university studies or work because of family rules, customs and traditions. The family does not allow women to work, and they say that women should stay home and take care of the children. Besides, there are no opportunities for us as Afghans in Iran. So I moved to Sweden with my two children and my husband. I was in Boteå at first and then I moved to Växjö. I was looking forward to freedom, and I am very happy that I could come to Sweden, Because in my country there are many laws, customs and traditions that I hate. Says Nazanin in an interview with Mosaik.

Like any refugee, Nazanin had difficulty integrating at first, but she tried to overcome it by learning the language.

- I tried to study the language seriously and intensively. Because I really wanted to learn, develop myself and integrate. I used to come to Växjö at eight o'clock in the morning and return to my house in Braås at four o'clock. I also studied during my trip on the bus. Two years later I started working as a circuit conductor. It was the beginning In 2015 when there was an influx of refugees and there was a need for someone who could speak Dari and Farsi so that he could teach those who came from Afghanistan and Iran and did not know another language.People from my country need help and no one can help them because of poor communication, but I can. As she says.

Nazanin started teaching Swedish to refugees in the Sensus and she had many groups. Because she was active and had a large group of Afghans who needed help, Nazanin got the opportunity to get a permanent job at Sensus.

- I am currently working on a project called "Tidigare insatser för asylsökande". This project offers a lot of support to refugees. Says Nazanin .

Nazanin is doing her best to help the Afghan community, as there are a large number of women and some men who are illiterate, cannot read or write, and have great difficulty learning in Sweden.

- Now we have a large number of illiterate people in Växjö. Especially among women who are mothers. Almost more than 100 Afghan people in Växjö are uneducated, and these people face double difficulties and challenges because they cannot learn another language as easily as others and therefore cannot work or develop themselves.They were victims of society, customs, traditions and laws. We must help these people, for example, support illiterate women in teaching them crafts and support them to open their own companies so that they can support themselves. We already have a project called "We want to work" but we are still waiting for support from the municipality. Saya she.

You have organized many demonstrations and vigils with the youth activists in Kronoberg, How can you bring together the Afghans?

I already have a lot of contact with the Afghans because I have worked with them for a long time and I have good relations with them because I have been helping them privately and from my heart. So I can collect Afghani from all over Sweden and not just in Kronoberg. We also have groups on Facebook through which we communicate.

How will you use the freedom of expression that one enjoys here in Sweden to defend the freedom and rights of the Afghan people?

We will continue to demonstrate to raise the voices of Afghans. Even if the world has failed us. Afghans have staged demonstrations around the world, but no one has heard us. Despite this, we will continue to raise our voices and demonstrate to demand the rights of the Afghan people. It is true that we live in Sweden and enjoy rights and freedoms, so we must think about those who are there, especially Afghan children and women who have been deprived of their most basic rights. Afghansare really sad and disappointed. Women have no life, no future, and they feel like they are in a prison, and that's exactly what I felt when I was there.