Barrett, The Honors College hosted Afghanistan’s former minister of education Rangina Hamidi on Monday as part of its Global Leadership Series. Hamidi is a long-time advocate for women’s empowerment through social entrepreneurship. Here are the top takeaways from Hamidi’s conversation with the audience:
Consequences of U.S. Foreign Policy
Hamidi highlighted the need for the United States to recognize its responsibility for the instability in Afghanistan
“For 20 years, we were there, we gave the lives of our children. Forget the Afghans, let's not even count the lives of Afghan children. Because they're not important, right? They don't matter. The children of America paid the price of 20 years only to hand over the country to the very people that we fight against.”
She also said the U.S. has not learned from its past policy mistakes in Afghanistan, with its withdrawal from Afghanistan leading to a rise in extremism.
Ministry of Education reform in Afghanistan
Hamidi explained how she became the minister of education after receiving a call from Afghanistan’s president, and what she did to restructure the ministry's focus on serving schoolchildren.
“Imagine going to some place whose entire purpose is to serve children to make their futures better than what they have. That was not the focus, the focus was to please such a such a political party, and such and such a big jihadi warlord who himself had never been to school.”
Her background as the principal of a flourishing STEM school helped her reform the ministry by hiring better staff and redesigning school curriculums, as well as restructuring the political office to de-incentivize corruption.
Complexity of Conflict Resolution
Hamidi shared her personal journey from characterizing leaders and people on a false dichotomy of “good” and “bad,” to shifting to understanding that it’s more of a spectrum.
She also said she is skeptical of leaders who use their “primal brain” to make decisions rather than relying on logic.
“I feel like most world leaders have reverted back to using their primal brain because the only way to solve their problems and their views are to go and fight, rather than sit and talk, and diplomatically, come to an agreement,” Hamidi said. “How can I trust a leader that is so primal in his thinking, of solving conflicts and issues?”
Responsible Leadership
Hamidi said leadership is about valuing communication over conflict and destruction, a trait she doesn’t see currently in world leaders.
“Most of the world, particularly today, is run by greedy men who are fighting for power. What is in the interest of the desire of 8 million people on this earth doesn't seem to be a concern for them,” Hamidi said.
However, Hamidi shared a pragmatic approach to dealing with diversity of opinion as a leader.
“8 billion people are never going to think alike. It’s unnatural,” she said. “One of the promises of American democracy that I've studied is that we agree to disagree and respect each other for that. We don't have to kill each other just because we disagree, but we just disagree on that
subject.”
She emphasized the impact of grassroots activism in bringing about change, since politicians only derive power from what people pressure them to do. Hamidi told students to work directly with their chosen community no matter how difficult it gets.
“It’s really the grassroot level activism, particularly political activism, that brings about change. Don't be swayed by people saying it won't make a difference,” Hamidi said. “It will make a difference in your life of who you are, what you believe in and what you're building.”
Debunking Stereotypes
Hamidi talked about her traditionalist Pashtun father who passionately supported girls' education, despite stereotypes about Pashtun men holding girls and women back from school.
She said most people don’t know all of Afghanistan’s identity, choosing to just focus on wars and conflict, and don’t know about what else the country has to offer.
“[We] probably find some of the most beautiful Islamic architecture in the region, and you still see that element in the north of Afghanistan,” Hamidi said. “Afghans are in such a diverse country that if you go and study the embroidery techniques, [they’re] completely different from the north versus the east and west. It’s a tapestry of so much art and talent.”