On August 9, the Afghan breakdancer Manizha ‘B-girl’ Talash represented the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games in Paris. However, she was immediately disqualified from the competition, after wearing a pair of wings emblazoned with the slogan “Free Afghan Women” during a pre-qualifying matchup against the Dutch athlete B-girl India.
“The world has forgotten about Afghan women,” Talash wrote in an Instagram post following her disqualification. “I began breaking in Afghanistan, where it is illegal for girls to train. I put my life at risk to do it because I love it. Breaking is a form of expression, and so I felt that this is what I had to do, even if it meant being disqualified.”
According to rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”. Talash has argued that her speech wasn’t political in nature but rather a “statement about basic human rights” – nevertheless, she expected to be disqualified and says that it was an “easy sacrifice” to make in the name of putting her message on an international stage.
The blue wings that Talash wore were fashioned out of fabric from a burqa, and were meant to symbolise the possibility of flight and freedom. The athlete stresses that she supports any individual’s right to wear religious coverings (another point of controversy at this year’s Olympics) but stands against the erosion of women’s agency under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, where it’s a requirement for women to cover their faces in public.
“With the fabric of this burqa that represents so much, I want to show the girls back home that even in the most difficult circumstances, they have the strength to transform things,” she wrote in her statement. “From a burqa they can make wings. If they are in a cocoon, one day soon they can fly.”
Breakdancing caused controversy at this year’s Olympics for various reasons, many of them unrelated to political speech, and the International Olympic Committee has already confirmed that it won’t return in 2028. Before the competition even took place, some experts argued that the sport risked losing its subcultural edge after hitting the mainstream. As many fans have since pointed out, though, Talash perfectly embodied the rule-breaking spirit and hip-hop roots of the sport at this year’s Games, and ultimately emerged as its champion, even if the judges ruled otherwise.
Below, we speak to Manizha Talash about taking her vital message to the Olympic breakdancing stage.
What did breaking mean to you as a girl in Afghanistan?
Manizha Talash: Breaking was a form of escape for me. As a girl in Afghanistan, I faced a lot of problems in my life, but when I was breaking, I would forget about them.
What were your thoughts going into the Olympic Games? Did you immediately know that you wanted to make a statement?
Manizha Talash: Not long after learning I was going to the Olympics, I kept thinking about the girls in Afghanistan. For me, I have always had to balance pursuing my dreams with the humanitarian situation in my country. When I thought more about the Olympics, and the idea that I would have one minute of my life where I knew the world would be watching, I realised that I had to use that moment to raise awareness. The girls in Afghanistan are more important than my dreams. Honestly, they are more important than my life.
“The girls in Afghanistan are more important than my dreams. Honestly, they are more important than my life” – Manizha Talash
How did you feel about sacrificing your Olympic dream?
Manizha Talash: It was an easy sacrifice, especially compared to the sacrifices the women of Afghanistan have to endure everyday. I knew that making any kind of statement would be seen as going against the rules, but I do want to reaffirm that I don’t see my statement as political. It was a message about basic human rights.
Could you tell us a bit about the symbolism of the wings themselves?
Manizha Talash: The wings represent the ability to fly, and therefore be free. I wanted to use a burqa to symbolize this, because the burqa is a garment that conceals women in Afghanistan. Again, I want to reiterate that I think all women should have the right to wear whatever they want, but the burqa is very specific to the Taliban regime. So to the girls back home, it is widely associated with the restriction of women’s rights.
I took my burqa and had it cut and sewn into wings in order to show that transformation and change can be possible, even in the most oppressive situations.
“Breaking was born out of hip-hop, which is a culture deeply rooted in fighting for freedom and against discrimination” – Manizha Talash
What is the primary message you’d like to send to Olympic audiences?
Manizha Talash: It’s very simple: Free Afghan Women. These words say it all. The women and girls in my country deserve to live freely.
What makes breaking an ideal sport to spotlight your statement on human rights?
Manizha Talash: Breaking was born out of hip-hop, which is a culture deeply rooted in fighting for freedom and against discrimination. There is a higher power in hip-hop, which separates breaking from other sports. It’s a sport, but it’s also an art and a culture. I love breaking for the physical aspects, but also for what it truly means and stands for. And I think my performance in the Olympics showed that.
