COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Masood Parwani, Co-Founder of Afghans Reviving Culture & Heritage-Canada

Why did you and others start ARCH? How did the idea come about?

Afghans Reviving Culture and Heritage [ARCH] came about due to the passion and vision myself and a few friends had for the Afghan community within Toronto and, more broadly, in Canada. One could very well say that ARCH coming to existence was “written in the stars” – in the sense that how we all became friends was purely by chance. Our friendship started due to this desire that we all shared to serve, to give back, and help grow our immediate community and by extension, our diaspora. In addition to that, we are actively trying to carve out our space and take a seat within Canadian society. ARCH would not be possible without the amazing individuals who are currently part of our team: Moska Rokay, Siyawash Toshi, and Palwasha Zerghune. This was nothing but an idea, a thought, a few scribbles on a napkin at best, but it is through the continuous efforts and contributions of the aforementioned individuals that we were able to make this initiative and organization a reality.

The idea of ARCH really started with the realization of a vast chasm within our immediate Afghan community. I want to specify that this gap we identified was generational. We realized that there was an entire generation of Afghan youth who were growing up not knowing what it meant to be an Afghan, not knowing the rich culture that we share, the vast and deep historical roots that we have, or even the traditions and customs that we practice. There was such a lack of understanding to the point the youth were running away from even identifying as “an Afghan” and I absolutely understand where that comes from and can relate to it. When you have a media that paints you as an AK-47 wielding terrorist or backward thinking religious extremist, who would want to identify with that? This brings me back to my original point about the generational gap. In my opinion, Afghan youth growing up in the West are forever stuck between a rock and a hard place. Growing up with two different cultures from opposite ends of the world can really lead to one having an identity crisis. More often than not, they choose the western culture at the cost of their Afghan culture. When you don’t have the cultural stories, the traditions and customs being passed on from the older generation to the new one, Afghan culture outside of Afghanistan risks extinction.

This is precisely where ARCH comes in to play. We aim to bridge this generational gap through exposure, education and understanding. First, expose the world to what it means to be an Afghan. We are looking to change the narrative with non-Afghans as well.

Second, educate individuals on what it means to be an Afghan. We are more than just “the graveyard of empires” – we are the people from the land of lapis lazuli, our language was the fourth ever to be spoken in space, we are a people who are renowned for our culture and traditions, our food, and our hospitality.

Finally, understanding. Understand the difficulties of having no roots in Canada, why we have an entire generation who forever long to go “home” – to a place where they have never been, understand the pain and suffering of our people, and simply just understand what it means to be an Afghan.

What are some of the Afghan Canadian community’s biggest challenges?

We have an issue where our community suffers from the “crab bucket” mentality, where we have an extremely hard time seeing another Afghan succeed. Rather than lend a helping hand, we use those hands to pull them down and it’s for no absolute concrete reason – it’s absolutely infuriating. I believe this mentality has paralyzed our community and has significantly contributed to its lack of growth.

Where do you see ARCH going?

ARCH is steadily going towards the destination and direction we had aimed for it. We want to help our community carve out its place in Canada. We want it to be a voice for our people. In short, in the future, whenever anyone thinks of Afghan people and Afghan culture and the role it has played and will continue to play in Canadian society, I want them to think of ARCH. I strongly believe that we are on the right path to getting to where we want to be and the fact that we are partaking in this interview with ADEP just provides us with those assurances.

What do you think your community can improve on?

Unity. We are very, very, very divided in our focus and efforts.

What makes you most proud about your community?

The new generation of Afghan Canadians. With all the issues that are affecting our community, the new generation offers solutions and hope. They aren’t plagued by mentality that is preventing our growth. They offer hope for the future for our community.

What do you think the Afghan diaspora can learn from your community?

The support for and focus on the youth. I believe that the history of tomorrow will be written by the youth of today. Our success as a community lies in the success of our youth. If we as a community support our youth and help them grow we are helping ourselves grow. I was surprised with all the support that we received since we’ve launched and it’s a pleasant surprise. We aim to continue this for the generation of Afghan Canadians.

What are ARCH’s social media handles // website?

Instagram: @arch.canada
Facebook: @arch.canada

Editor’s note: This interview has been condensed for clarity and length.