Her father fled the Taliban by boat. She became the first Afghan woman in the Australian army
About this episode
Kbora Ali shares her journey from being an Afghan refugee to becoming the first Afghan woman in the Australian Army.
At age nine, Kbora Ali arrived in Australia as an Afghan refugee after her family fled Taliban rule. Less than a decade later, she became the first Afghan woman to join the Australian Army. In this deeply personal conversation, Kbora reflects on her journey from Afghanistan and Pakistan to suburban Adelaide, the challenges of growing up Hazara, and her determination to serve the country that gave her family safety and a future. She speaks to Hamish Macdonald and Waleed Aly candidly about belonging, identity, military life, and the deeply difficult choice she made to remove her headscarf when she first arrived at Kapooka. Now an Air Force flying officer, and co-author, along with her sister, of her new memoir First of Her Kind, Kabora shares a story that sits at the intersection of migration, service, multicultural Australia and the enduring consequences of war. Guest: Kbora Ali, Air Force flying officer and co-author of First of Her Kind. Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at global.roaming@abc.net.au
People in this episode
Host: Hamish Macdonald
Guest: Kbora Ali
Topics covered
- migration
- military service
- identity
- cultural challenges
- Afghan refugees
- multicultural Australia
Keywords
- Afghan refugee
- Australian Army
- military life
- identity
- cultural challenges
- memoir
- migration
- Hazara
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Australian Army, Air Force
Books & works: First of Her Kind
Places: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Adelaide, Kapooka
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