It’s as if the unity has been shattered into countless pieces

In a humanitarian effort, almost one hundred Afghan intellectuals were rescued and brought to Europe – including to Zug - between 2021 and 2026. Three of them presented a reading at the Gewürzmühle in Zug on Friday evening, with extracts from the anthology “Paths through dark times: Afghan and Swiss texts on flight and asylum”.
 

There were three of them: they’re the ones we've heard about in the media, whose lives were in danger and whose thinking and work have been paralysed since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Their minds reflect the same values that are dear to us in Europe: democracy, human and women's rights, freedom of expression, and acceptance of ethnic diversity. Humanitas, in Western terms.

Because they believed in these values, even in the heart of Asia, they are now here, in Switzerland. If they weren't here, they might no longer be alive: writer and sociologist Sabera Aitabar, philosophy lecturer and literary critic Azim Basharmal, and economist Najibah Zartosht.

As intellectually exposed individuals — as feminist and religion-critical researchers, or as participants in anti-Taliban campaigns — they were particularly at risk in Kabul after the 15th August 2021. They now live in Zug as recognised refugees—thanks to a dedicated initiative by the German-speaking Swiss branch of the PEN writers' association. The initiative for the readings came from the author and human rights activist Sabine Haupt - who was also present at the Gewürzmühle (spice mill) - and the reading organised by the Literaturhaus Zentralschweiz (Central Switzerland Literature House) began with her account.

She called the effort "the greatest adventure of my life," describing the hurdles of the migration policy, and regarded it as a "miracle" that almost one hundred Afghan intellectuals and their families were nevertheless rescued and brought to Switzerland, Germany, France, and Spain.

With sparkling eyes, she described the arrival of the refugees' at the airport: "They were finally here, and, despite having only known each other from afar until then, we fell into each other's arms." The sudden closeness between vastly different worlds hung in the air as a remarkable feeling, captivating the nearly fifty-strong, attentive audience.

From left: Sabere Aitabar, Azim Basharmal, Sabine Haupt, and Najibah Zartosht at the Gewürzmühle.
Photo: Matthias Jurt

The impressions of exiles
When interviewed by host Susann Wintsch, the three Afghan guests had to search for words to describe their "now." Every morning upon waking, Sabera Aitabar has to repeat the sentence "I am in Switzerland" aloud to herself, like a mantra against what lies behind her, but which still haunts her. "It's slowly starting to work," she says with a smile, "I have to live my life here now."

Between receiving daily news from her old homeland and her professional re-orientation in her new one, "you initially lose your sense of belonging." She has been working as an interpreter for HEKS, the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church's aid organisation, since November 2025. Writing in Persian is still difficult: "It's as if the unity has shattered into countless pieces," she says. The text that she reads aloud is about her sister Anisa, who lived in the countryside with six children and whose husband was taken away and shot by the Taliban.

Azim Basharmal feels happy, because he now lives in safety, is learning German, is looking for a job, and – he now has a three-year-old son. But "life is suffering and a struggle”. He was surprised to learn that there are also people from Zug who have had to leave their home - because it’s become too expensive. He can still write, and the text he reads is called "Children in Dark Times", which is dedicated to the newborns who were murdered in a Kabul maternity ward in May 2020.

For his wife, Najibah Zartosht, the focus is primarily on advocating for the women of Afghanistan: "Not to be silent, to raise my voice for those who cannot." She vividly describes how, with the help of a Swiss-Afghan volunteer team, she founded the online platform "Afghanistan Women's Voice," which publishes reports, analyses, and research in Persian and English on the precarious situation of women in Afghanistan.

Three voices – and a glimpse into the depths of the intellectual experience of exile and asylum. Asked by an audience member what is essential for arriving in a new homeland, Sabera Aitabar replied: "Friendships, engaging with art, using one's own potential, being allowed to be useful."

For Azim Basharmal, it is the feeling of being able to become part of the culture. And Najibah Zartosht lists freedom, women's rights, shared values, and the diversity of nations as reasons for feeling a sense of belonging. The couple have named their son Benjamin - after the German philosopher and cultural critic Walter Benjamin, whose thinking influenced literature, art, media theory, and journalism.

The anthology “Wege durch finstere Zeiten. Afghanische und Schweizer Texte über Flucht und Asyl (Paths through dark times: Afghan and Swiss texts on flight and asylum) was published in 2025 by the ‘Verlag die Brotsuppe’.