Reach For The Stars, Sister

The sisters Latifa and Latiluma achieved the impossible: in the 1980’s they became Afghanistan’s first female fighter-pilots and in doing so blasted their way through the overwhelming forces of sexism. In spite of resistance from military leadership, they penetrated the exclusively male domain of the Air Force. As young pilots they witnessed the retreat of the Soviets and fought against the Mujahideen in helicopters. After the Taliban issued a death threat against them, they fled the country. Disguised in burkas, they returned as covert agents for the UN, infiltrating the stone-aged realm of the Islamists. The sisters were re-recruited as pilots with open arms after the Americans defeated the Taliban. Latifa fled to the USA, holding lectures at universities and marvelling at the beauty of this land.

As progressive as the two are in their professional lives, privately they are forced to adhere to the constraints of the patriarchal society. They enter arranged marriages and soon become pregnant. Daughters are born to both of them, but only Latifa survives the birth; Lailuma dies. Latifa returns to her position as fighter pilot shortly after the birth for financial reasons. Because she doesn’t know what to do with her daughter, she quickly decides to make her a bed in the backseat of the helicopter. The child accompanies her mother for six years on all missions for the ISAF. She spends her childhood above the clouds – in view of the situation for women on the ground, maybe not the worst scenario.

Update:

When the Taliban carried out several attacks on Latifa in 2015, she fled via Pakistan to Austria, where she still lives today.