Who is Zarifa Ghafari? Life of Afghanistan's first female mayor explored ahead of Netflix documentary premiere

In Her Hands, Netflix's upcoming documentary produced by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, among others, will cover the life of the brave Afghani woman Zarifa Ghafari, the daughter of the renowned General Abdul Wasi Ghafari, who also happens to be the first female mayor of the Middle Eastern country. Zarifa was not only the only female mayor of Maidan Shahr but also the youngest one.

Since the time of the Taliban's resurgence, Zarifa Ghafari has faced numerous huge obstacles that have threatened her and her family. She survived death threats, assassination attempts, and the Taliban resurrection, which also resulted in her father's assassination in November 2020.

The upcoming film, produced by Juan Camilo Cruz and Jonathan Schaerf, will cover this braveheart's story in detail.

Read on for more details about Zarifa Ghafari ahead of the premiere of In Her Hands. The documentary will release on November 16, 2022.

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Zarifa Ghafari was only 24 when she was appointed Mayor of Maidan Shahr

One of the foremost political figures of our generation, Zarifa Ghafari was born to Abdul Wasi Ghafari, an Afghan Army colonel and commander in the Special Operations Corps in 1994, Kabul. She attended Halima Khazan High School in Paktia Province and earned her college degree from Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.

In July 2018, she was officially appointed the mayor of Maidan Shahr by incumbent President Ashraf Ghani. She was only 24 at the time. She was the youngest female mayor in the country and the first female mayor of Maidan Shahr. Her appointment was met with severe criticism and protests because of her young age and gender. Her father remarked on the country's state and beliefs, saying:

"Societies like ours can’t deal with a woman, or challenge her with their efforts and their abilities,...Instead they try to break her. Harm her by harming her dignity. This is part of the game. If you can’t accept it, then give up and stay at home."

She was chosen as the International Woman of Courage in 2020 after her work towards the betterment of women in Afghanistan. Ghafari has also actively worked towards the education of women. She also took up a position in the Ministry of Defense, making her one of the foremost figures in the old regime of Afghanistan.

Over her short career, Zarifa has faced multiple assassination attempts and has also lost her father, who was shot down by the Taliban outside his house in 2020. The attacks came as part of the uprising following the US's withdrawal from the nation.

An assassination attempt saw the young politician set alight after her trusted worker kept the gas running. She recalled:

"A putrid black smoke rose from my feet. Then, like a thunder clap, the agony, as if a fanged dog was tearing chunks of flesh from me, with acid then poured onto the wounds."

Ghafari also believes that the Taliban killed her father because they did not want her to be the Mayor.

Zarifa Ghafari continues to inspire generations of oppressed women, not only in Afghanistan but across the entire world. The upcoming documentary In Her Hands will cover her story in detail. Stay tuned for more updates.