Who is Frida?

Several years ago some of my friends were writing a column for a local Wellington paper. The column was filled with juicy highlights of the cultural life of the capital and was written by these fabulous women under equally fabulous pseudo names. Sara Barr, Wanda Martini and Gita Mann thrilled and amused Wellington with their exploits and insights. One week - to my undisguised delight, I made it into this column. My tag was Frida World. Years later I still use the tag, with pride, knowing that the humour behind it was always combined with respect for what I believe in (i.e. fundamental freedoms and human rights for all) and support for me in my work. So this, my first ever blog, carries on the tradition of Frida. Here I'll share with you notes on my life in Afghanistan and welcome your comments in response. I hope to find the courage and the skill to write with honesty and with clarity. However, I'll need to be aware of potential risk to myself or others and to make choices about what I post based on those risks. Some of you will want to know what music I'm listening to and whether I've managed to maintain my fitness regime, others will mostly be interested in the detail of my human rights work. This blog will probably be a mixed bag - with a little of all those things and hopefully lots of photos. Welcome, nau mai, haere mai, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa!