Freemuse and Rebelle Records have supported the ever first production of a CD by and for Afghan children. It was recorded in Hamburg, where Hadia Rastagar and her German classmates sing 15 songs arranged by Farid Rastagar. The 15 songs CD has received massive coverage through Afghan and international media.
BBC had two programs regarding the CD, and has broadcasted two songs from the CD several times. Radio Free Europe had four programs (one presentation and three interviews), Afghanistan National TV and Radio had several programs, and also TOLU TV, ARIANA TV, Afghanistan World TV and IRAN TV (IPN) covered it.
The initiative to the CD was taken by Dr. Samay Hamed, founder of Afghan PEN and 2004 receiver of ICPJs Award. Dr. Samay Hamed has written the lyrics and composed songs for the album. 3,700 copies have been distributed to primary schools and libraries in Afghanistan through a network of 43 organisations.
During Music Freedom Day 2008, governor Ata Mohammed Noor announced that he would try to solve the problem with the ban preventing male artists from singing at weddings
At a workshop in Kabul participants from all over the country identified some of the key problems that make life difficult for Afghan musicians and composers.
Afghanistan's first rock music festival, ‘Sound Central – The Central Asian Modern Music Festival’ is an advocacy event for freedom of expression at a critical time.
The organiser of a concert where the singers appeared on stage without headscarves was fired after religious elders had complained that this was inappropriate
Music Freedom Day 2011: An exiled DJ returns to Kabul, music is smuggled out from Burma, and Freemuse hands over an award to an imprisoned singer in Cameroon
Somalia is starting to resemble Afghanistan under the Taliban, where hard-line Islamist militia bans music and movies and forbids the public from watching sports on TV
