Editor

The SIGNIS-WACC Human Rights Award 2010 has been given to the documentary The Garden at the End of the World, directed by Australian film-maker Gary Caganoff.

The film explores the legacy of devastation and trauma in Afghanistan and illustrates the tragic consequences of war and the widespread hunger, homelessness and lawlessness that it causes. In particular, it shows the impact on the lives of widows and orphans, who now number tens of thousands.

The Garden at the End of the World follows the work of two remarkable women – humanitarian Mahboba Rawi, and internationally recognised permaculturalist Rosemary Morrow, who offer alternatives to international ‘reconstruction’ efforts that have patently not worked.

The documentary reveals how urban and rural families and communities have disintegrated after losing fathers, husbands, and brothers to 30 years of political conflict, poverty and the drug trade. Rosemary, a Quaker, brings a holistic perspective to these experiences, emphasising the links between sustainability and genuine empowerment.

Mahboba Rawi, a refugee from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, lives in Sydney, Australia. In 2001 she established a not-for-profit organisation called ‘Mahboba’s Promise’, to assist homeless widows and orphans. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her services to international humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

Through the eyes of these remarkable women Caganoff elicits stories and images of Afghanistan rarely seen before. Neither sentimental nor sensational, the film reaches into the dark depths and complexities of war torn Afghanistan.