An Afghan refugee who escaped the Taliban takeover last August is looking forward to celebrating her first St Patrick's Day in Ireland.
Hogai Wardak, 21, arrived in Ireland in September 2021 under a resettlement programme.
She is one of 425 people granted refugee status after being offered visa waivers by the Irish Government.
Hogai said: "Ireland is nice. I love the culture and the people. I’m so excited about this St Patrick’s Day. I will be connecting with other Afghans and we will join other minority groups on O’Connell Street for the parade. For the first time, we will shake our flag in Ireland, we will wear our traditional clothes, and dance."
Hogai is originally from Kabul.
She was working as a journalist for Zan TV, a ground-breaking news channel that aims to give more working opportunities to women and help challenge the gender inequality in the country.
She left Afghanistan after discovering her life was in danger.
"When the Taliban took the country, everything changed. I left everything behind. I left my job, my home, my education. And I left my mother behind, it was so hard. It was also clear that there would be no hope for women and all those working with media or the government," Hogai explained.
Hogai now lives with a host family in Killiney in Dublin.
She and her friends are planning to celebrate their first St Patrick’s Day in Ireland with a special Afghan dish.
Hogai said: "We will cook the traditional food of Afghanistan which we call Qabli Palow. It’s rice with meat, raisins and with carrots. It’s very delicious. At the parade, let’s meet each other, let’s talk and let’s share our cultures."
