“Music can bring us closer to one another,” Jawad says. “Today, whether you are a Tajik or an Afghan, when you hear a song from Adele or Elvis Presley or whoever it is that you know, even if you don’t know what they are saying, you still feel things, you are a little more joyful, and you feel that you understand what they are saying. This shows that culture and music can really be impactful on the relationships of people.”
Jawad is a recent graduate from Omega’s business course, but his vision to see people come together over music is already happening. Since 2021, he has been a part of putting on five concerts with some pretty impressive names: Aron Afshar, Hamid Hiraad, Aryana Sayeed, Behnam Bani, and Valy Hedjasi.
While he hopes to start a business that celebrates Persian culture and music – helping people to experience the music through concerts and learn about it through seminars and conferences – this dream is far more than a business plan for him.
Before Jawad came to Tajikistan, he lived in Herat, Afghanistan, where he worked as a journalist and producer. He and his family left just before the change of government, and when the Taliban took over in the summer of 2021, the world watched as musical instruments in Afghanistan were broken and music was silenced. “My mission is that wherever the young people of Afghanistan – and of all three Persian countries –are in the world, their culture is not passed by, and the sounds of the music and culture of Afghanistan do not die.”
Jawad is one of approximately 8,000 Afghan refugees living in Tajikistan, and while he also hopes that the concerts he organizes can be for everyone, he knows that it is significant for other Afghans, who are often at home without work. “I want to lift their spirits…There is so much difficulty and depression; because of this, I wanted to bring in happiness and joy and music to the Afghan people here.”
Omega’s courses have been significant in helping Jawad to further develop his vision. Jawad heard about Omega through a few friends, and first took part in our Personal Development Course, where he learned about leading with integrity, helpful communication skills, and working as a team. When he heard that Omega was starting a business course, he was excited to attend. “I hoped that I could learn something new in the area of business so that in the future, I can start a successful business, and have a solid vision,” he shares.
At the business course, Jawad learned key skills that he could apply to his already-inspiring vision. Students worked throughout the course to formulate a detailed business plan that helps them to be as successful as possible and can give potential investors a picture of what they can be a part of. Jawad reflected that the most helpful aspect of this plan was creating a solid business summary – being able to explain the essence and details of the business concisely, so that those who may want to invest or take part can catch the vision quickly and get excited about it.
Since the course, Jawad says he has been continuing work on his business plan, and has also seen that the Personal Development Course and the Business Course built on one another, helping him to become more organized as he works towards his goals. One of the skills he learned is a daily list. Every day, he writes down what he needs to get done to work towards his ongoing activities here – like planning more concerts – and tasks that help him get closer to his larger vision.
While it’s clear that this impacts his work, there have been peripheral impacts as well. His family has noticed these shifts in practice, too. Jawad smiles as he shares, “I will write a list down and put it up on the wall or a door, so that I don’t forget it, and for them – my wife and daughter – it’s interesting. A lot of the time, my daughter will help to remind me. She’ll say, ‘Dad, this thing that’s written here – did you do it yet? Or have you not done it?’
“I think for my daughter, this is becoming a culture in her life, too – she will know that she can also have a list for herself, and that each day, she can make a list of all the things she needs to get done. For both my wife and my daughter, they see the impacts in my life, and then can practice these things themselves, too.”
For Jawad, our Personal Development and Business Courses have given him tools to do what he is already doing even better, and that has resulted in changes in himself, his family, and his work. As he works towards his goal of sharing the music and culture of Persia – first here in Tajikistan, and later, with hopes to have a global brand – he wants to encourage others to aspire to whatever is next for them, too.
“For those reading this right now, I want to tell you to never lose hope. One thing that is so important is that we have hope – we need to believe this,” he says. “And next to this, that we should have a vision for our future – a vision that is clear and right, that we can work towards and believe in.”
If you are excited about Jawad’s work, keep an eye out for upcoming concerts in Dushanbe or Vahdat – you can find them on Facebook, or advertised on billboards and television. You can also read more about our work at the Omega Training Center here.
