How Being a Visual Storyteller in Afghanistan has Transformed Kiana Hayeri and Her Perspective on Life

Stories of Transformation

As an Iranian Canadian, Kiana Hayeri has struggled throughout her life to find a sense of home and belonging. As a teen, she found photography—a medium through which she didn’t have to struggle with language, and could finally connect to a world that doesn’t belong to her.

Kiana Hayeri is a visual storyteller, Senior TED Fellow, and a regular contributor to The New York Times. Her work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, NPR, Monocle Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, The Globe, and Mail, among others. Her passion for visually telling stories has brought her all around the globe, but she keeps finding herself coming back to Afghanistan.

In this episode of Stories of Transformation, Kiana shares what it is about Afghanistan—the culture, the people— that keeps her coming back. We talk about how living in a war-torn developing country like Afghanistan has changed her perspective on life and her definition of “hope”.

We then go on to dissect the fundamental differences between Afghan and American culture, and lastly, learn what it’s been like being a female photojournalist in Afghanistan, entering prisons and war zones to get the story.

For full show notes: https://www.baktashahadi.com/podcast

Connect with Kiana Hayeri

Website: http://www.kianahayeri.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianahayeri/?hl=en

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Produced by: Dana Drahos

Edited by: Joseph Gangemi

Digital Marketing by: Katherine An

Theme music by: Qais Essar

Artwork by: Masheed Ahadi

Episode Music Credits:

Jon Gegelman

Philip Daniel Zach