Walls, Bans and Border Patrols: The Fearsome Fallout for Children

by Humera Afridi At the age of ten, my biggest fear was a dread of heights. Childhood weekends were sun-drenched (chlorine-filled) idylls during which I worked myself up to fling my body off the high board at the Sind Club into the gleaming swimming pool below. I lived in Karachi, and, yes, in a bubble.…

What Can I Do? —Gündüz Vassaf’s Call to Action in a Time of Rampant Pessimism, Part 2

by Humera Afridi Gündüz Vassaf's latest book, What Can I Do, arrived like manna this past summer, a panacea for our times, urging action as an antidote to pessimism. The book's publication in Turkey coincided with the heightened and volatile political climate in the country in the immediate aftermath of the failed coup attempt. Its…

“What Can I Do?” —Gündüz Vassaf’s Call for Action in a Time of Rampant Pessimism, Part 1

by Humera Afridi On a recent weekend morning, I spoke with eminent writer and intellectual Gündüz Vassaf at his home on the island of Sedef in Turkey. I was calling from Manhattan, New York, via Skype, and the distances of space and time between us collapsed to make way for a conversation that felt like…

Memorial Day: The Heartbreaking Convergence of Freedom and Fear

by Humera Afridi Mere steps from Castle Clinton in Battery Park, on the southern tip of Manhattan, stands a striking bronze sculpture titled, The Immigrants. Created in 1973 by the Spanish sculptor Luis Sanguino, it portrays a group of individuals who have undertaken an arduous voyage. Their gripping expressions and postures tell a story of…