Humaira Ghilzai is a Social Entrepreneur dedicated to bringing people together across cultures.
Welcome to my world of artistic expression and cultural exploration. I'm Humaira Ghilzai, a cultural producer, writer, speaker, educator, Afghanistan cultural advisor, dialect coach, Dari language coach, and cultural dramaturg. Phew, that was a mouthful.
Originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, I relocated to the Bay Area with my family after the Russian invasion in 1979. My diverse upbringing and global experiences deeply inform my work and advocacy for cultural activism.
For the past 20 years, I've been dedicated to enhancing education opportunities for Afghan girls, boys, and women, through initiatives I started such as the Afghan Friends Network and the Sister City relationship between Hayward, California, and Ghazni, Afghanistan.
As an Afghanistan cultural advisor, I collaborate with esteemed theaters, authors, playwrights, and artists to ensure authenticity in their portrayals of Afghanistan and the Islamic world. My Broadway debut in 2022 with The Kite Runner exemplifies this commitment.
My academic background includes degrees in International Business from Mills College and San Jose State University. After a career in the tech industry, I shifted my focus to philanthropy and the arts.
Currently, I serve on the Board of Trustees of Golden Thread Productions, I am a faculty member of "The Immigrant Experience in California through Literature and History," a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for School Teachers, and I am a member of the MENA Theatre Makers Alliance and Making Good Trouble Anti Racist Cohort.
Driven by my commitment to anti-racism, I advocate for equity and inclusion, particularly for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Through cultural competency training, I strive to bridge understanding gaps and promote diversity in organizations.
My artistic journey is marked by collaboration with prestigious institutions and fellow playwrights to create diverse narratives that resonate with our shared human experience.
I’ve co-written, PILGRIMAGE, a play that challenges stereotypes about Muslim women in a relatable and humorous narrative. Workshoped at Golden Thread Productions and Crowded Fire Theatre, it was also presented at San Jose State University and Stanford University.
In the realm of scholarship, I've co-authored a chapter titled "Adaptations of Literature As Method: Text, Politics, and Representation" in the book "Research Methods in Performance Studies."
Join me on this journey of artistic and cultural exploration as we drive social change, foster inclusion, and celebrate diversity in the arts and beyond.
“Humaira’s meticulously organized (not to mention, memorized) presentation on how Afghanistan’s history has affected women’s lives provided a powerful context for sharing the poetry and essays written by AWWP’s Afghan women writers. She has such a thorough understanding of her country’s rich heritage, cultural influences, and the complexity of Afghanistan’s current day struggles.
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“Humaira knows Afghanistan and its people well, and describes it in such a way that pushes past the usual “plight” narrative. She helps listeners understand the basic interests and needs of the people without over simplification but in a way they can connect with. It is impossible to leave a presentation of hers without a very much enriched understanding of Afghanistan, the richness of its people, and most importantly what that means for us. ”