Blog: Garden of Peace and Hope

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

It is the middle of winter; there are still cold and freezing times to come. Reza*, the gardener, protected all fountains and pool wells with plastic. He also cut the flowers to be ready for spring. Security issues determined by the Ministry of Arts & Culture currently prevent us from hosting an exhibition.

Garden of Peace & Hope, Afghanistan

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

Garden of Peace & Hope, Afghanistan

In this season, the Garden of Peace and Hope is thriving with beautiful roses blooming. Because of restrictions from the government, the Garden and the National Gallery are closed to exhibitions. But it is open for visitors to enjoy the Garden of Peace. We had an exhibit scheduled last month with approval from the ministry, but due to safety issues, the government canceled it.

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

Hopefully, the situation at the Garden of Peace and Hope will get better soon. In recent days, the Ministry of Culture said it would allow us to continue our exhibitions and activities if the pandemic does not rise among people. We have some problems due to the virus, yet we continue to work in the Garden.

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

As the coronavirus spreads all around the country, the city has been in lockdown for several months. The Garden of Peace and Hope looks beautiful throughout this challenging time. Unfortunately, we cannot host any exhibitions during these restrictions. Yet I continue to encourage artists to motivate them for the next opportunity when we can once again display their works.

Garden of Peace & Hope, Afghanistan

Garden of Peace & Hope, Afghanistan

Again, this spring has showered the Garden with lots of rain. All the flowers are blooming beautifully! The past winter was the coldest yet in Kabul. Our “leap day” exhibition was enjoyed by so many, yet we have not been able to hold exhibitions since then, due to the security situation. 

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

As spring, the season of beauty is here, we look for beautiful days ahead with great anticipation!  GHNI’s Garden of Peace and Hope had an exhibition that ended in March. It was great to view the 67 exquisite paintings of three female artists! More than 100 people visited the exhibition. 

Garden of Peace and Hope, Afghanistan

It’s been a cold winter in Kabul with lots of snow! We haven’t had any exhibitions at the Garden of Peace and Hope for the past month or so due to the snow. The gardener and I have been working to protect flowers from the snowy weather by covering them with plastic. There is still snow inside the Garden.