Haroon Ehsan
“Last four years were the best period of my life,” said Haroon Ehsan, a 20-year-old student at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Haroon was born in Afghanistan but has been living in Bishkek, Kirghizstan for the last four years. He applied to AUCA when he was only 15 years old, and he is currently studying International and Comparative Politics. Ehsan believes that he grew up in Bishkek and he managed to build his personality there.
Haroon is working for a non-governmental organization called The Afghan School. The project provides thousands of young men and women with the opportunity to receive education in different fields like Business Management, Information Technologies, English and Communications. His father used to be the director of the school, so Haroon feels like his mission after graduating would be to go back to Afghanistan and promote the work of the organization.
He thinks that going back to his home country will be a big challenge for him. “I will be going back to a social setting from which I have stayed away for four years,” he said, “I will have to relearn the interactions, there are many things I should be aware of, many responsibilities I currently don’t have right now.”
Haroon revealed that it may be hard for him to fit in after being shaped by the environment in Kirghizstan. “It’s been 40 years of war in Afghanistan. People change- psychologically, economically, socially- this is what really saddens me.”
The young man admitted that rapping is his biggest passion.“I am also into music,” Haroon shared with a shy smile on his face, “I am actually a rapper. But there is a stigma around music in Afghanistan, the society there is very conservative,” he claimed. Ehsan added that music is therapeutic for him and it is the only way he can express his thoughts and feelings.
Last year, a targeted explosion killed one of Haroon’s friends at the age of 24. Her name was Fatima ‘Natasha’ Khalil, and she was working for a human rights organization. “I wrote a rap song about her,” Ehsan said, “that’s how I deal with all that is happening.” His purpose is to tell stories with his music.
Haroon got into music and especially hip hop in his high school years. “I miss the passion I had those days, he said, “I wish that nowadays I have this passion towards everything.” His academic life was his priority for the last four years, but he aims to continue doing music and develop even more when he goes back to Afghanistan.
Haroon’s role model is his freshman year Philosophy professor- Elena Popa. She used to be strict, but he believes that if he hadn’t taken this course with her, it would’ve taken him a lot more to grow as a person. “It was the first time I saw someone that smart, I was deeply inspired by her. She had a huge impact on me,” Haroon claimed.
###
Margarita Arsova is studying at the American University in Bulgaria and majoring in Journalism and Business Administration. This is an interview that she conducted for her class Writing for Media.
