After 7 years, Afghan refugee playwright Saleh Sepas leaves Malaysia

Afghan refugee Saleh Sepas, 40, has made a huge impact on the Malaysian theatre scene as a playwright and director with Parastoo Theatre for years.

He has since flown off to resettle in the United States on Aug 16 with his wife, three children, and two cats.

Before that, he spoke to Malaysiakini about what brought him here in the first place, and why he believes in the role of the arts in society.

In 2016, Saleh left his home in Afghanistan with his family and arrived in Malaysia as a refugee.

This former fine arts major from Kabul University pursued his love for theatre and worked with an international broadcasting company for eight years in his country before he was forced to leave in 2016 with his family.

“When I left my country, I did have plans for my future,” he recalled.

Now blacklisted in Afghanistan, Saleh had to leave behind his elderly parents there and he has not seen them in years.

“When refugees leave their country, the future is dark, full of stress, and they are nervous. We don’t know what will happen to us in the future,” he said.

Fear and uncertainty

“When I applied for a job, people told me, ‘Oh, you cannot work. You’re a refugee.’ It was a really bad situation. It affected my family,” he added.

He ended up doing menial jobs such as being a dishwasher or cleaner.

With a lack of support from all around him, Saleh realised that there was no point in waiting for others to help him. So he decided to do something for himself.

“Why am I waiting for others to come and change my situation, my life? I have the knowledge. I have potential. I have skills. So I can do something. I must open the door for myself. That’s why I created Parastoo Theatre,” he said.

Initially, Parastoo Theatre was something he did for himself and his family.

“I worked very hard and I brought in more refugees. Right now, Parastoo is not just for myself. This is for other people, for the refugee community, for migrants, and also for the Malaysian audience,” emphasised Saleh.

He said he received help to run Parastoo from theatre professionals here when it came to technical aspects, fundraising, writing, and acting.

Over the years, they staged several noteworthy plays, all featuring Afghan refugees as cast members, such as Screaming in Silence, And Then Came Spring, and most recently, Red Soil Of Kabul (Aug 11-13, 2023).

A few months ago, Saleh was contacted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNCHR).

He was asked if he had anyone who could sponsor him and his family to move to the US. He referred them to a friend who was willing to do so.

Initially, the family was to move to Virginia and then they got word that it was going to be Washington State. Their new home will now be in the state of Vermont.

“It’s very close to New York. I told them it's okay. No problem,” enthused Saleh.

He was hoping to stay in Malaysia until the end of the year to help finish some projects he had planned. However, this was not possible as the timing of the resettlement is decided by IOM, UNCHR, and also the country he and his family will be settling down in, which is the US.

“This is amazing news for my family, for myself, and our future. When we leave Malaysia, we will go to our new home. We need a new home,” he said.

Nonetheless, he is sad to leave Malaysia because he made new friends here who supported him through hard times and helped him through many challenges.

He found out about the resettlement on Aug 13 and broke the news to all his friends in Malaysia that very day.

It was bittersweet as he has many lasting memories of Malaysia and the people he met here, but he is looking forward to the new life he will be creating with his family at their new home.

Saleh said he needs a home to call his own, where his children can go to school, and he can work to support his family like everyone else.

More theatre in the US

He also hopes to continue doing theatre in the US.

“In Malaysia, this platform works. We bring a lot of people together from different communities, from different countries,” said Saleh. He hopes to create another Parastoo Theatre in the US.

While he did not have many rights in Malaysia, he still created something beautiful for the community to enjoy.

“In the US, I will have rights, so I think I can do better than Malaysia,” said Saleh.

He said that he will continue to stay in touch with those running Parastoo Theatre in Malaysia and will still write plays for them. He will only be able to come back to Malaysia after one year of moving to the US.

He is happy with the response to Parastoo’s recent staging of the play Red Soil Of Kabul. He points out that Parastoo Theatre has made its mark in the local theatre scene and tickets were sold out quickly.

He is confident that even after he leaves, more Afghan refugees in Malaysia will embrace Parastoo Theatre because when they watch the plays, they will start to believe in the power of the arts.

The importance of art

Coming from a place like Afghanistan where the Taliban has essentially suppressed all art forms and freedom of expression, Saleh has strong views of culture not being allowed to flourish.

“Based on my experience, art is a part of our life and our culture. We cannot separate it, we cannot forget, we cannot remove the art from our culture and our life.

“For me, life without the arts is like cooking food, but without oil or salt. How will the food taste? It will have no taste.

“The Taliban regime in Afghanistan banned the arts. They banned music, films, theatre, and even paintings as well. That’s why society has lost its soul. Now, life has no meaning in Afghanistan. This is sad,” said Saleh.

In 2018, when Parastoo Theatre performed ‘Screaming In Silence’, members of the US and Iranian Embassy were invited. They sat next to each other and enjoyed the play. Saleh said art can bring about peace where people of different worlds can enjoy together.

“A community without art will find things to be challenging. You would have lost our voice, your platform to say anything,“ Saleh said. - Mkini