Fakhta

Fakhta was in the final year of a law degree when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The university closed and Fakhta’s fiancé had to go into hiding, having been a soldier in the Afghan national army, which had fought the Taliban. Their families judged it best they should be married and try to leave the country together. They lived in secrecy in western Afghanistan before paying smugglers to take them over the border to Iran. In Iran, they struggled to make ends meet and sought resettlement in a new country. They have just arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, hoping it too will be a stop en route to another country. Fakhta is a contributor to My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird (MacLehose Press, 2021), Rising After the Fall (Scholastic, 2023) and My Dear Kabul (Coronet 2024).