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Dear patrons, it's Elv. if anyone here is fluent in English could you help me to edit this text? So that grammar and punctuation will be correct. I'm going to publish it on our blogs. I'd be thankful. I also think this information will matter to you if you appreciate and support my art.

A beautiful dancer from Afghanistan, a lovely person, a friend...

If you follow me and watch my art, please read this, it is very important.

Few years ago I made these artworks of an afghan dancer and posted them on my blog. Later I had to delete them because of many negative reactions from people – people who didn’t know the truth that this young man was, in fact, my closest friend! Yes, he was someone I knew for a long time.

I couldn’t tell about it then, because I would have to explain and risk way too much. Reality was more complicated than it seems. When I tried to be positive about the other culture without touching something that hurts us both, yet, people’s response was only hatred, disgust. NOBODY even asked me! Nobody was interested “why did you draw him”? They just attacked and accused. Eventually, now, I still have to explain.

First of all, Afghanistan is a homophobic country, it does not accept anything LGBT+, it denies gay/trans/queer rights, and not only that – anyone who supports queerness, equality, or even “looks queer” – will be condemned, criticized and persecuted there. So how I, a foreigner who openly supports queer rights could tell everyone “THIS IS MY FRIEND”? If the public of his country will discover that he befriends someone like me, he will just get even more hate. I didn't want this negative attention for neither of us.

I will not share personal details with respect to his privacy and safety, but as a friend I must defend him, and defend myself too, for just trying to treat him – not as a stereotypical negative image – but as a human being, a person with self-respect, pride, honor.

Originally he is from North Afghanistan, he enjoyed dancing; performing at parties was his entertainment and a job for himself and his family. I featured videos with his amazing performances before. While avoiding sensitive and scandalous terms, I used tags like Uzbek dancer, talented dancer from Afghanistan and ‘bacha’ بچه - in Farsi/Dari - boy, young man (I’m fluent in Persian enough to know what term to use). I wished he could be recognized as an artist. However after seeing how much hate he still gets, I removed all videos and links.

For majority “a pretty and young looking dancer” automatically means something else. Everyone keeps pressing on negativity, they call him “bacha-bazi” – but HE IS NOT! Concerning how twisted and notorious this term is, I don’t call him like this. And don’t call him this, please.

He only performed the “bacha-bazi” style of dance as it was a part a Central Asian folk theater, nothing more. Nobody forced him to dance. He is a completely free person. Dancing was his own decision. Needless to say, my friend is already 38 years old. In all previous videos of his performances he is above 25-30 years old, surely he looks young but not like a child.

ALL rumors or assumptions about him on the internet are false. Despite that it’s uncomfortable for me to say, I will say it to be clear: he is NOT a slave, NOT a prostitute, NOT an abused child. Please, don’t label a grown up artist with such horrible assumptions just because he is from Afghanistan.

I know, condition of this country is sorrowful, with the past war, conflicts, poverty, lack of education etc. so people from other countries aren’t aware of many things that happen there, thus controversies remain, but I wish people to stop judging before knowing the truth.

If you really care about somebody’s safety, try to contact them directly, ask them if they need help, but what’s the use of shaming on the internet? If you actually want to help children and youth of Afghanistan, help them in reality, increase education, security, welfare. But putting up a scandal in the media, accusing someone you don’t know personally is useless and harmful. You think you spread justice? You just spread hate.

I condemn anything that violates human rights. I don’t care what it’s called, if there’s a violation – it’s a crime. But my friend has NOTHING to do with it. I knew his family and friends, who were very protective, they love him and care for him, and he loves and respects them as well. Not whole Afghanistan is like what you imagine based on the negativity in the media. There are good people too, who can love, who have feelings too.

This dancer is an adult who decides his personal life, which is none of other’s business. He had a dream to become a performer, but sadly in his country it’s a stigma. 4 years ago he stopped dancing (all videos with newer dates are wrong), and guess why? Because of people’s hate and misunderstanding. He cannot dance anymore. In his country they say “it’s gay”; they force him to live according to heteronormative standards: look like a man, marry, have kids, and stop befriending “queers”... while in foreign countries they keep saying “pedophilia victim”, “abused child” etc. He is none of this. With this ignorance, you are not protecting him, you’re just making it worse for him.

Nobody actually cares if he got a job, how he lives and what are his dreams and life goals? They judge him only for one thing. I was also accused of… drawing him? Accused of doing something that made him very happy.

He was aware of my artistic skills and really appreciated that I portrayed him, he even requested me to draw him! Receiving praise and compliments was his joy. He also allowed me to publish those paintings. Of course I care for his safety and peace and the reason why I spoke about it all now is because reading all the words about him is too painful to ignore.

I admired his beauty, his talent, he was, indeed, a very nice and sweet person. But instead I just got hate from others as if making art was a crime. Unfortunately I can’t share any more of his portraits I painted, people will just keep judging him, judging me, judging everything they don’t understand. I doubt that this situation will change for the better. Now, at least, if you read this, please don’t ruin his life. Let him live peacefully.

Elv

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I hope you understand much more now. Maybe this will change your perception of my and my siblings art, and why we touch such subjects as history of Middle East.