AFI’s Afghan Artists Protection Project (AAPP) is a holistic legal and resettlement initiative developed in response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the United States’ withdrawal in August 2021. After an unprecedented number of applications to AFI from Afghan artists and cultural workers facing persecution, censorship, and forced displacement in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, AFI established AAPP to safely resettle Afghan artists and their families and allow them to preserve their livelihoods as artists in the United States and Europe.
Launched in 2021 with generous funding from the Mellon Foundation, AAPP United States initially sought to resettle Afghan artists and their families to the US. In 2022, AFI expanded the project’s scope to include Europe with support from the SDK Foundation for Human Dignity.
Through AAPP, at-risk Afghan artists and their families have been provided with:
- pro bono immigration representation
- USCIS filing fees
- relocation assistance
- temporary housing
- resettlement funds
- employment and fellowship opportunities, and
- ongoing support post-relocation
In 2025, AFI’s attention will increasingly focus on ongoing resettlement services for the growing proportion of the Afghan arts community who now face prolonged displacement in the US. While AFI will no longer cover all USCIS application filing fees for Afghan visa applicants, our immigration and resettlement efforts for Afghan artists in the United States will continue as part of our general legal services and resettlement programs. The newer AAPP Europe initiative will deepen AFI’s resettlement services for Afghans in Europe and continue legal work through referrals to humanitarian visa programs in Europe and a continued commitment to cases pending before Germany’s Federal Admissions Program for Afghan Nationals. If you are an Afghan artist or cultural worker seeking legal or resettlement assistance, apply for AFI’s services here.
Photo credit: Nosrat Tarighi.