Afghan Music and Poetry

as part of the special exhibition Zirkelsch(l)uss

The musician and poet Dr. Salamat Schiftah from Afghanistan was the focus of this concert. Born in Kabul and living in Germany for several decades, Salamat Schiftah sings Afghan songs, poems he set to music and humorous compositions, which he performs on the traditional plucked rubab accompanied by tabla player Shams Mahmoud and pianist Ursel Schlicht. Dr. Schiftah put together a special program for this performance, which he describes as a tightrope walk between suffering and lust. His songs are based on his own poems from his newly published book "Gedichte – sinnvoll und rar, Blick aus München und Mazar". For decades, he has devoted himself intensively to the mediation of cultures and has received several awards for his work. It is his interest to bring the culture of his home country Afghanistan closer to the people here and to promote tolerance between the religions.