Samira Kitman (born 1984) is an Afghanistan/born

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

and

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

currently residing in Lancaster in northern England.

Early life

Her parents fled to Pakistan to avoid the troubles, where they lived as refugees during her early childhood. They returned to Kabul in 2002.

Career

She learned her craft with the Turquoise Mountain Foundation and went on to organise the contract that provided Afghan miniature painting, ceramics and woodwork to the brand new five-star Anjum Hotel in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

which is used by wealthy pilgrims. She employed fifteen women calligraphers. The contract worth £175,000 was for 6,000 illuminated Quranic verses to decorate the five-star hotel. She and her artists had 11 weeks to complete the intricate ink lettering with swirls of green and gold

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

. She was voted Afghan businesswoman of the year, has been praised by Prince Charles and has had her art displayed at the

Victoria and Albert museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London and the Smithsonian in Washington. She created Maftah-e Hunar, an arts foundation which trained eighty young, deprived women to become artists and make a living. In 2016 she featured in We Are Afghan Women, a book by the former American first lady Laura Bush.

Asylum claim

Kitman’s high profile brought her to the attention of militants, and she applied for asylum to the United Kingdom and was located by the Home Office in Lancaster. Her application was refused, an appeal lodged then on 18 March 2017, before the appeal the Home Office reversed its decision: “They advised that after reviewing their decision they hadn’t realised the extent of Samira’s profile in Afghanistan and internationally and that due to her profile she would be at risk.”

References

Sources

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External links

Samira Kitman
Turquoise Mountain site Afghan women artists Afghan expatriates in England Women calligraphers Living people 1984 births {{Afghanistan-artist-stub