Project +93: Where music, inspiration, and solidarity meet

Established in 2021 and named after Afghanistan’s country code, Project +93 is aimed at allowing young Afghans in Stockholm to learn to play musical instruments, sing, and perform. It was inspired by Aramnejad’s own experiences as a young person in Iran- the first song produced in his underground home studio was by a band called Zero Hundred and Eleven, based on the area code of their hometown.

Living in Sweden and exploring the common culture, history, and languages of the Scandinavian countries, Arya Aramnejad asked himself whether Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan can follow this model. He, therefore, decided to focus his project on Afghan youth who had migrated to Sweden in recent years due to the situation in Afghanistan.

After a lot of preparation, planning, and outreach, Project +93 came to life through to the support of four Swedish organisations: Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Studiefrämjandet, The Swedish Arts Council, and The Gertrude and Ivar Philipson Foundation. Together with a project manager and an Afghan coordinator, facilitating better communication with the young Afghans, Arya and Åsa held rounds of workshops and music practices, culminating in public performances.

Although the project commenced amid the COVID pandemic, social distancing limitations did not prevent the group from making an impact. This was particularly the case for some of the female participants in the group who, at first, were reluctant to sing due to cultural norms in Afghanistan. Over time and especially following the public performances of Project +93, the girls, and especially their families, changed their minds and now all girls in the group are interested in singing, with some of them being the lead singers in the group.

In conversation with the ICORN Secretariat, Arya Aramnejad and Åsa Steinsvik elaborated on Project +93:

ICORN: What was the context in which Project +93 came about?

Åsa Steinsvik: When Arya was the ICORN resident in Stockholm, we wanted to support him to release his first album in Sweden. As a cultural institution with different projects and initiatives, we wanted to work more with our guest artists, especially after the end of the two-year ICORN residency. This was exactly when Arya’s residency was coming to an end, and we thought it would be great to use his unique music skills in a project which would be beneficial to Swedish society. We were aware of the Afghan youth in Sweden, some of whom came to the country without their family after the Taliban takeover. I also knew that Arya was very engaged in supporting young people through culture in Iran, working with social issues and music felt very natural in Sweden too. We also developed the project in a way that allows us to develop methods which can be replicated in the future.

ICORN: How did you develop the framework and what are the similarities and differences when working with social issues in Iran and in Sweden?

Arya Aramnejad: In Iran I worked with underground musicians, such as hip-hop performers, whose music was forbidden. I first started more than 15 years ago, and this caused a lot of problems with the governmental organisation which controls arts and culture. The most important thing is that in Sweden, I can do my music and this project in freedom. It is amazing and new and gives meaning to my life here.

ICORN: How did you involve some of the Afghan girls whose families were reluctant to let them participate?

Arya Aramnejad: It was not easy and easy process, and it takes a long time due to cultural reasons. The project, however, helped many families change their minds and allowed the Afghan girls to sing and participate equally.

Åsa Steinsvik: We hired a project manager who spoke all the languages in the working group and an Afghan coordinator who helped us to connect with our target group, the Afghan youth. We had an equal number of boys and girls, and this was very important to us. When we had the concert after nine months of practicing and it was wonderful to see them all play so well on stage to a large, emotional audience. Some told me that they would remember this for the rest of their lives. We felt we couldn’t stop then and now Project +93 has been running for almost two years.

ICORN: How has the project changed over the last two years, if at all?

Arya Aramnejad: They want to learn a lot of new things, play different instruments. For example, last week, we were working with one of the girls who wants to play the drums. It is not easy but I like to try to challenge them. I know that Åsa is trying to find instruments for them, many of which are expensive, but we try to find solutions to everything.

Åsa Steinsvik: The project has changed a bit because the participants in the group have gotten to know each other and gone through their own processes in the group dynamics but music remains the central thing. I am a producer in the cultural field, always thinking of new things for them to do but they always remind me that they want to do music so it is very useful to have Arya with his deep musical knowledge. Almost all but four participants came back after the summer, and we had four new people joining us.

ICORN: What has Project +93’s impact on the wider community been, if you have been able to assess that?

Åsa Steinsvik: Our current ICORN resident, Zahra Hussaini from Afghanistan, reached out to the Afghan community in Stockholm and they all knew and appreciated Project +93. It is important and hopeful to see the group perform to audiences connected to Afghanistan given the challenging situation in the country. These moments are very important for the group members too and now they take the initiative to organise and host their own events, including a New Year’s Eve celebration. We hope that the Afrghan community feel more welcome in Kulturhuset Stadsteatern now and join other cultural activities there. We also want to expand the project beyond Stockholm and internationally and the ICORN network would be a great starting point for this.

Arya Aramnejad: People in the community are definitely talking about the project- we got a lot of great results and we would like to raise awareness of this. The Project +93 group also gained a lot of confidence. For a long time they were performing the songs of a famous Afghan musician and eventually they got to perform in front of him at a festival. This was a great experience for them and gave them a lot of new energy and confidence to learn and practice.

Arya Aramnejad is a musician, songwriter, and producer from Iran. He was persecuted by the Iranian authorities due to his music and the political content of his lyrics. Arya was the ICORN resident in Stockholm between 2018 and 2020.

Åsa Steinsvik is a producer and the ICORN coordinator in Stockholm. She has worked in Kulturhuset Stadsteatern since 2010, facilitating a number of projects involving ICORN residents, including Project +93 and A Night with Buddha.

You can find more about Project +93 on their Facebook and Instagram pages.

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