But it is a desire for which she has sacrificed her own and her family’s lives. It has compelled her to depart the nation and conceal her identity.
As she prepares to compete on the world stage at the Paris Olympics, Manizha discusses her journey to become Afghanistan’s first female breaker.
Manizha arrived at the breaking point late.
She had initially tried shoot boxing, turning to the Japanese martial art that combines wrestling and kickboxing as a way to protect herself while working alongside her father, selling groceries.
But after a few battles, she fractured her shoulder and had to give up.
Then, at the age of 17, she saw the video of the man on his head and quickly discovered the Superiors Crew, a Kabul-based breaking collective.
She fell in love.
“I couldn’t believe it was real,” she explains.
At the same time, she learned that breaking will make its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The dream had been born; she only needed to get there.
However, it was evident from the start that things would not be easy.
She went to the Superiors Crew’s training club in western Kabul, which was regarded as the country’s pioneering center for hip-hop and breaking, but it did not live up to her expectations.
