Tom Morello Pens Open Letter to Call For Evacuation of Female Guitar Students in Afghanistan

In the wake of recent violence and political strife in the country of Afghanistan, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist, Tom Morello, has penned an open letter calling for the removal of young female guitar players from the war-torn country.

The 57-year-old musician, Harvard University student and political activist sent the call to Billboard via his friend, guitar player, and teacher, Lanny Cordola. Morello believes the young female guitar players are at great risk after the recent takeover by the Taliban in Kabul.

Cordola, who, in 2015, founded a music school for girls in the country, called, Girl With a Guitar, started the program to help girls who had little to no other opportunity in the region. According to Billboard, Cordola is in Pakistan working to get his 12 students and their families from Afghanistan.

Cordola founded the school through his non-profit, Miraculous Love Kids. According to Billboard, the school has taught close to 200 students. They’ve learned western songs and learned under male teachers, both of which put them at risk under Taliban rule.

“I’m writing on behalf of some very special girls in Afghanistan who are in grave danger,” says Morello. “[Girl With a Guitar] takes in street orphans and other girls that have endured significant trauma and uses music as a rehabilitation tool and means of working through their problems, their histories, and their hopes. I’ve had the honor of collaborating with these wonderful kids. Since the Taliban takeover, their school has been destroyed and the girls are in hiding. They are at extreme risk because they are widely known to have performed Western music and have been educated by a male American teacher. Anything you could do to help save their lives would be much appreciated.”

Read more here.

Photo by Eitan Miskevich