During Taliban time, the people of Afghanistan are deprived from all their human and musical rights, including not having access to music education, to musical recordings, being denied their rights to listen to music and any rights to learn and/or play an instrument. With the inauguration of ANIM in 2010, music was firmly reintroduced into Afghan society. ANIM used the soft power of music in rebuilding a nation transforming lives, communities, and facilitating in the ethnic and intercultural dialogue within Afghanistan and internationally.

ANIM and its students have been based in Portugal since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, which made performing and even listening to music in Afghanistan a crime. The orchestra and school aim not only to preserve and promote Afghanistan’s rich musical heritage, but also to champion the musical and educational rights of the Afghan people, especially those denied such rights by the Taliban’s brutal crackdown on women.

The Afghan Youth Orchestra (AYO) comprises young musicians from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). Aged between 14 and 20, they play both Western and traditional Afghan instruments in repertoire ranging from Western symphonic works to original compositions and traditional Afghan music.

About Us

ANIM is acknowledged as the institution which brought music back to Afghanistan and restored and ensured the musical rights of the Afghan people.

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The following objectives are the cornerstones to ANIM’s mission:

  • Ensure the musical rights of Afghan people

  • Transforming lives and communities through music education 

  • Promoting gender equality and empowering girls

  • Promote musical diversity and healing of the nation through music

  • Community outreach and social impact

  • Embracing cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue

Currently, ANIM hosts 300 students, with over 35% of the student body female and nearly 60% of all students are from economically disadvantaged families.