Calling All Londoners.

The Canadian High Commission in London is presenting an exhibition of my profiles of Afghan activists, workers, feminists and teachers, "Unsung Heroes," at Canada House, Trafalgar Square. The exhibition is on display in the Canada House Small Gallery from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until November 11. The exhibition will be shown concurrently with Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes, an exhibiton of photography produced by young Kandahari photographers and journalism students.

The opening night at Canada House featured a panel discussion with Horia Mosadiq, Hashim Alavi and Shoaib Sharifi. I am told that everyone said kind things about the Unsung Heroes project, and also that there were free drinks all round, which adds to my regret that I could not be there.

‘Unsung Heroes’ is a travelling exhibition brought together by the Funder’s Network for Afghan Women and the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee. It profiles some of the Afghan people who are working to make positive, lasting change in their country.

These Afghans are largely unknown in the West. Away from the limelight, they are working for human rights, for gender equality, for poverty relief, for health, for cultural revitalisation, for the right to education, for a free press, and a vibrant independent civil society. These activists are ordinary people with extraordinary courage. Their motivation is to see peace in Afghanistan and to play a part in making it happen.

They were nominated by other Afghans and their stories collated and written by Terry Glavin, co-founder of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee.