Success Stories - Fresh Air for the Soul of this Country

April 2008

Afghanistan is about so much more than conflict. Just ask Mushfiq, a musician and visual artist who has brought the culture of his old home to his new home in Canada.

After acting in an Afghan stage drama at age five and establishing his own arts and music school by the age of 30, Mushfiq was forced to flee his homeland in 1992, when the Soviet-backed regime fell and Kabul erupted into civil war.

“As long as I’m with my art I feel at home,” he says, recalling how he dealt with a decade-long journey that took him to several countries, including Pakistan, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands, where he earned a masters degree in Eastern classical music.

Mushfiq immigrated to Canada in 2001 to marry his fiancée. While he had been offered opportunities in Europe to teach, paint and perform, he chose Canada to be closer to his extended family.

Today, Mushfiq’s Ottawa studio is filled with his paintings and calligraphy. He believes that, by bringing the art of their homelands to Canada, newcomers make a valuable contribution to Canada.

“Canada has grown richer with immigration,” he says. “New art and new music from other parts of the world are like a breath of fresh air for the soul of this country.”

Now a permanent resident in Canada, Mushfiq has used the arts to expose Canadians to the culture of Afghanistan.

“I come from a country with a rich cultural and artistic heritage. And I try to share that with everyone around me.”

In 2003, he created the Mushfiq Arts Company, the only organization in Ottawa dedicated to performing, teaching and promoting an appreciation of South and Central Asian music, arts and cultural heritage.

Through the company, Mushfiq has taught Afghan music and art to students of all backgrounds. He also has a musical ensemble, which has performed at local and national music events, such as the Ottawa Folk Festival, and whose concerts have been broadcast on both CBC Radio and Radio-Canada.

As a way to further express his roots, Mushfiq also uses his art to give back to his homeland. He has performed at fund raising concerts for victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and for landmine victims in Afghanistan.

Some of his greatest joy, however, comes from seeing his culture thrive in a new land. “While most of my support comes from the new immigrant communities, we’re increasingly getting more fans from the mainstream society, too,” he says.

“All Canadians are increasingly getting drawn to different forms of music and art and I feel privileged to share what I have with everyone around me.”

“I don’t feel foreign here. The whole planet is home for an artist.”

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