Afghan Girl Rejects Arranged Marriage To Become a Rapper in Documentary SONITA

Guest Bio

18-year-old Sonita is an undocumented Afghan illegal immigrant living in the suburbs of Tehran. She fights to live the way she wants: As a rapper in spite of all her obstacles she confronts in Iran and her conservative family. In harsh contrast to her goal is the plan of her family – strongly advanced by her mother – to make her a bride and sell her to a new family for the price of $9,000.

Sonita Alizadeh is an Afghan rapper and activist who has been vocal against forced marriages. Alizadeh first gained attention when she released “Brides for Sale,” a video in which she raps about daughters being sold into marriage by their families. By help of Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami, Iranian documentary filmmaker who over three years, documented her remarkable story in the film SONITA, filmed the video to escape a marriage her parents were planning for her, because it is illegal for women to sing publicly in Iran, where she was living at the time. After releasing the video on YouTube, Alizadeh was contacted by the Strongheart Group, who offered her a student visa to study in the United States, where she currently resides.

Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami was born in Tehran and studied filmmaking and animation in Tehran Art University. Her published essays and research include the book, “Animated Documentary: A New Way to Express,” published in Persian in 2009. Her short documentary works include Pigeon Fanciers (2000), A Loud Solitude (2010), Born 20 Minutes Late (2010), Going Up the Stairs (2011), and the animated documentary Cyanosis (2007).