Roya Sadaat

I only came to Denmark two years ago. Everything is still so new to me, but as I learn the language, I feel less foreign.

To me life is very black and white. It is not that I interpret it as contrasts and contradictions, but because I love the two colours and observe my life through them. I associate Afghanistan, where I am from, with something black. With grief, oppression of women, lack of freedom – like a prison. If you are a woman, you must wear black, and you are trapped in your own home. Nonetheless, the women of Afghanistan are strong, and strength is also black. The colour black masks the flaws. It is tough to be a woman in Afghanistan, and dangerous to be a human being, but despite this I love Afghanistan It is my homeland and where I am from.

But then on the other hand, I see the colour white as the good thing in life itself. The pure and beautiful, hope, light, happiness and freedom. Freedom is very important to me. I want to be free to go to school, ride the bike, play volleyball and go for walks. Good fortune is also white, and I am lucky to be here in Denmark and be free.

Finally, there is the silence. To me it is white, even though it is important to speak to tell the truth. I have just started at VUC in Aalborg, because I aspire to become a journalist. I will show and tell the truth. In Afghanistan there are journalists, but they don’t write about corruption or the challenges faced by the people living there. In Afghanistan, there are bombs, they are black. Here there is safety, here it is white.

21 / female / single / student / Aalborg / from Afghanistan / came to Denmark in 2016 / residence permit 2017