This Young Afghan Woman Aims to Cure Depression Among Youth with Dance

Fahima Mirzaie, a 23 year old young Afghani woman has initiated a step to help curb the increasing number of Afghan youth battle depression and mental disorders.

She has vowed to start a dance school for young Afghani women in the capital of the country last year in order to help them fight depression by finding inner-peace through the spiritual dance called “Sama.”

Afghanistan has been a war-torn country since two decades and now the poor living standards have made the young generation depressed about the future.

Dancing is considered ‘taboo’ in Afghanistan especially among women, however, Mirzaie, has promoted Sama which has its roots associated with Sufism and its traces have been linked back to the 13th century Sufi poet Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi, who was born in present-day Afghanistan.

Mirzaie says, “I enjoy Sama, and when I do it, it gives me peace, and the sadness and difficulties of my life go away,”

“My life and my students’ lives have been changed by Sama. They have gained self-confidence, and even some of them who had depression are very happy,” she said.

She wishes and urges young women to sign up for her classes in the Sama dance classes that involve swirling movements that leads to a trance-like state which allows an individual to feel closer to God. This dance has been highly popular in the Muslim world for a long time now.