July 10, 2018

An Uphill Battle: Afghan women’s ascent to freedom

tags:	#women's rights, #Afghanistan, #Mount Noshaq
located:	Afghanistan
by:	Yair Oded

In 2018, a group of five Afghan women will set out to summit Mount Noshaq, Afghanistan’s highest peak and the second highest in the Hindu Kush range, which was neither climbed nor summited before by an Afghan woman. To this day, women in Afghanistan are regarded as property of their husbands and family, and are barred from participating in sports or any physical activity in public. Thus, the women’s planned expedition bears great significance, as by attempting to climb the mountain they will challenge the strict societal boundaries they are subject to. Such an act of defiance and courage could send a message to millions of Afghan women and men, inspiring them to abandon their oppressive attitudes and espouse a new view regarding women’s status in society.

An Uphill Battle is a documentary film which chronicles the journey of the Afghan women, beginning in the early stage of preparations for the expedition, with the intention of documenting the actual process of climbing as well. 

Theresa Breuer and Erin Trieb, the film’s creators, have launched a Kickstarter to help raise funds that will enable them to complete their mission, which currently entails chronicling the expedition itself and acquiring funding for post production expenditures. “We plan to give these Afghan women, hopefully, a chance to tell the story through our film and let their voices be heard in a way that the world hasn’t seen before...and in a time when women all over the world are standing up for their right to be heard, we feel like this is a timely and compelling story. ” Says Trieb. “The expedition requires an incredible amount of logistics- assistance, equipment, and financial help. And we promise you that if you help us fund this project that every cent will go directly to the expedition and to the post production of our film.” Says Breuer. 

“I want to stand on the highest point, strong on my feet. To be strong. To lift up those who have fallen and be the hero of the women of Afghanistan. I want to be a hero.” Says one of the five women who by the end of the year will embark on the historical climb. 

Please consider supporting the filmmakers and ensuring the message of these women vibrates across Afghanistan and the world. The campaign has four days to go. 

Image: Taken from "The Uphill Battle" teaser video