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Mozhdah Jamalzadah

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Mozhdah Jamalzada
مژده جمالزاده
Jamalzadah in 2021
Born (1985-12-07) December 7, 1985 (age 39)
Kabul, Afghanistan
NationalityAfghan, Canadian
Occupations
Years active2007–present
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
LabelsEthnobeast

Mozhdah Jamalzadah (Dari/Pashto: مژده جمالزاده; born December 7, 1985) is an Afghan Canadian singer, actress, model and activist. Jamalzadah formerly hosted The Mozhdah Show in Afghanistan, which discussed social issues such as women's rights.

Early life

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Mozhdah Jamalzadah was born on in Kabul to Bashir and Nasrin,[1] in a family of Afghan Tajik descent. During the civil war in Afghanistan, Jamalzadah's family fled the country to neighbouring Pakistan; Jamalzadah was five years old at the time. The family later moved and resettled in Canada. She was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia,[1] where she went on to study broadcast journalism at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, philosophy and political science at the University of British Columbia.

Music career

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Jamalzadah began writing songs in the early 2000s.[2] Her debut song at the end of 2007 was "(Sher) Bacha e Afghani".[3] Jamalzadah was a contestant on the sixth season of Canadian Idol performing "Say It Right", eliminated at the audition stage.[4]

Afterwards she released "Dokhtare Afghan" (Afghan Girl), which became instantly popular on Afghan TV stations and airwaves. The song called attention to past stories of strong female Afghan heroines, and earned Jamalzadah nominations and awards at the Afghan and International TV and radio stations. The song was written by her father, who Mozhdah has called a feminist.[5]

Don't break my wings, don't break my honor. I'm a proud Afghan girl.

As a result of her fame, in December 2009, she was offered the position to work with an up-and-coming television station in Afghanistan, 1TV, later earning her international attention.[5] She was additionally the first woman to perform in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan without a hijab.

Her debut album, Act One, containing the previously mentioned songs and others, was released in 2009.[6]

On International Women's Day 2010, Mozhdah was asked to be the first Afghan to perform at the White House for the President, Barack Obama and First Lady Mrs. Obama, singing "Dokhtare Afghan", a song describing the bravery of Afghan women.[7][8][9][10][11]

She was a presenter of Afghan Star from 2012 to 2013.[12]

The Mozhdah Show

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Mozhdah's political and philosophical studies gave her the drive to pursue more difficult ambitions. Once she joined 1TV, she decided she wanted to make her trip to Afghanistan fulfill her desire to make a difference. She became the host of "The Mozhdah Show" which later became the subject of international media. The concept of The Mozhdah Show was created after The Oprah Winfrey Show, which gave Jamalzadah the title "Oprah of Afghanistan" by western media such as CNN and Time magazine.[13][14][15]

On the Mozhdah Show, Jamalzadah and her producers created programming that addressed taboo topics in Afghan society, describing what it was like to be a woman, a child, and a person living in Afghan society. The Mozhdah Show also provided Mozhdah with the ability to explore and learn more about the current situation in Afghanistan through the eyes of Afghans.

Other ventures

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Jamalzadah has also worked as a model[16] for Cosmopolitan and Asian Woman Magazine.[citation needed]

In 2018, Jamalzadah was a panellist on Canada Reads.[17]

In 2019, she had an acting role in the drama film Red Snow and had a biography of her life released by Greystone Books entitled "Voice of Rebellion".[18]

Personal life

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Jamalzadah is a self-proclaimed "nerd"[14] and introvert,[19] and has been the owner of a cat.[14]

Awards

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  • Excellence in the Arts CCLA Gala 2012 Toronto, Ontario, Canada (for outstanding commitment and contribution to a rich, diverse and dynamic Canada)
  • Best Light Song of the Year ATN Awards (2010)
  • Best Female Artist ATN Awards (2012)

References

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  1. ^ a b Saner, Emine; @eminesaner (October 30, 2019). "Afghanistan's Oprah: Mozhdah on fame, threats and why she won't live her life in fear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Afghanistan's Oprah: Mozhdah on fame, threats and why she won't live her life in fear". the Guardian. October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Afghanistan's 'Oprah' – DW – 09/05/2021". dw.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Christer, Emory (2011). Mozhdah Jamalzadah. Junct. ISBN 9786138271192.
  5. ^ a b "Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Afghanistan's 'Oprah' – DW – 09/05/2021". dw.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Mozhdah - Act One, 2009, retrieved August 18, 2023
  7. ^ "Afghanistan's 'Oprah' helps heal country's wounds". CNN. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Baker, Aryn (August 9, 2010). "Afghan Women Fear Their Fate Amid Taliban Negotiations". Time. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  9. ^ Stephenson, Mercedes (November 10, 2010). "'Oprah of Afghanistan' still fears for her life". London Free Press. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  10. ^ Macdonald, Nancy (December 17, 2010). "Mozhdah: The Oprah of Afghanistan". Maclean's. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  11. ^ "Une femme d'influence". Canoë (in French). March 25, 2011. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Saner, Emine; @eminesaner (October 30, 2019). "Afghanistan's Oprah: Mozhdah on fame, threats and why she won't live her life in fear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  13. ^ Macdonald, Nancy (December 17, 2010). "Mozhdah: The Oprah of Afghanistan". Macleans.ca. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "Afghanistan's 'Oprah' helping to heal country's wounds - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Introducing the Oprah of Afghanistan: Mozhdah!". July 28, 2010.
  16. ^ "This Afghan Fashion Magazine Is Risking Everything to Start a Revolution". Teen Vogue. July 16, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "CBC Canada Reads Crowns 2018 Champion". open-book.ca. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "Voice of Rebellion". CBC Books. July 30, 2019.
  19. ^ "Mozhdah Jamalzadah مژده جمالزاده - For an introvert like me, there's nothing better than spending summer in my mama's backyard. A good book and some vitamin D is all I need 😌☀️ Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Or a bit of both?... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
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