No Barriers

Cross Cultural Music with AJ Subat

Episode Summary

We’re traveling today…. From Los Angeles to Afghanistan and back again. Not literally, but in a groovy kind of way with the help of Ajmal "AJ" Subat. He's is a first generation Afghan American who grew up in Southern California. He’s an accomplished musician and navigating his cross-cultural identity has proudly influenced his music. But that creative outlet was put on hold the day Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in the Summer of 2021. Knowing the coming oppression, especially against women, his focus shifted to evacuating as many of them as possible. What did that look like? And what about the people left behind? How does he create this cross-cultural music and how that process process evolved since then?

Episode Notes

Ajmal Subat is an artist, activist, and creative consultant who helped coordinate the evacuation of some of Afghanistan’s most visible female leaders. He is trained in classic Indian and Afghan music and toured Afghanistan with one of the nation’s leading musicians. Ajmal coaches Afghan artists pro bono, composes music for television and film, and is currently producing his second album.

https://restorehervoice.org/

https://www.instagram.com/restorehervoice/

https://www.instagram.com/subatmusic/