Youth activists from Afghanistan and Cambodia join Shuddhashar FreeVoice and Oslo Scholars to discuss diaspora activism, student movements, and the power—and pitfalls—of social media in defending education, democracy, and freedom of expression. In this webinar, “Connected Struggles: Social Media and Youth Movements from Afghanistan to Cambodia,” youth activists Samady Ou and Friba Rezayee and our Oslo Scholars interns engage in a vital conversation about the challenges and possibilities of activism today. They discuss diaspora activism, the role of student movements, the strengths and pitfalls of social media, and their efforts to strengthen education and democracy in the face of repression by the Taliban and the Cambodian government. By highlighting experiences from Afghanistan and Cambodia, this discussion reveals how youth are creating new strategies of resistance and solidarity worldwide. They also share powerful advice for young people in the United States, urging American youth to stand up for democracy and justice now.
Panelists: Samady Ou is a Cambodian youth activist, Vice Chairman of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, 2025 Human Rights Foundation Freedom Fellow, and Youth Ambassador for the Khmer Movement for Democracy. For Shuddhashar’s Issue 44 on Youth, he wrote “The People and the Exiles: Cambodia’s Enduring Fight for Democracy.” https://shuddhashar.com/the-people-an… Friba Rezayee is the founder of Women Leaders of Tomorrow (WLOT), a not-for-profit organization in Canada that empowers Afghan women and girls through education & sports. To date, WLOT has secured 37 full-ride scholarships for secondary, and post-secondary education in Canada. She made history by competing at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as the first Afghan female athlete ever in Olympic history, and she now works to empower Afghan women and girls through education and sports. Together with Bahara Ahmadi, the Ambassador of Afghan girls’ education for WLOT, she published “Afghan Women & Girls Want More Than Just Basic Rights, We Want to Lead” https://shuddhashar.com/afghan-women-… in Issue 44.
Hosts: Ella Harris Perin is a student at Tufts University, where she studies Environmental Science, Anthropology, and Spanish. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, she has been involved in local climate activism and environmental education. She also studied in Urubamba, Peru. She is interested in community organizing in local activist spaces and the role of art in collaborative work. She is an Oslo Scholar Intern with Shuddhashar FreeVoice during summer 2025. For Issue 44, Ella contributed her article, “Resisting Historical Isolation: The Importance of Archival Research” https://shuddhashar.com/resisting-his… Evan Vezmar studies international relations and French & Francophone cultural studies at Tufts University. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Evan has a passion for journalism and human rights. He has worked in various journalistic positions, from managing editor for his high school paper to staff writer on the Tufts Daily and freelance writer for a local newspaper in Minneapolis. As an Oslo Scholar and summer intern with Shuddhashar in 2025, Evan attended the Oslo Freedom Forum with notable human rights activists, leaders, and writers from around the world. For Issue 44, he published “The Community Still Speaks; Local Journalism Must Be There to Hear It” https://shuddhashar.com/the-community…
The webinar is introduced by Lisa I. Knight, editor and co-director of Shuddhashar FreeVoice and Professor of Anthropology and Religions of South Asia at Furman University.
This webinar is an extension of Shuddhashar FreeVoice’s Issue 44, Youth, which was published on 1 August 2025. https://shuddhashar.com/
