Shekaiba Wakili was 10 years old when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. She and her father escaped Kabul and came to Queens in 1980. Years later, she made contact with her mother who she never really knew growing up, since her parents were divorced when she was a baby, and the father pretty much got everything including two of their three daughters. Shekaiba eventually brought her mother out of Afghanistan to Queens, where they developed a relationship as adults, mother and daughter. After 9/11 Shekaiba struggled with her identity as an American, as an Afghan, as a fairly secular person, and as a Muslim. In this composition by Scott Johnson, Shekaiba dreams of returning to her homeland. The words are in English and Dari. Scott Johnson is known for is compositions that use voice as an element in the musical development.

Shekaiba Wakili was 10 years old when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. She and her father escaped Kabul and came to Queens in 1980. Years later, she made contact with her mother who she never really knew growing up, since her parents were divorced when she was a baby, and the father pretty much got everything including two of their three daughters. Shekaiba eventually brought her mother out of Afghanistan to Queens, where they developed a relationship as adults, mother and daughter. After 9/11 Shekaiba struggled with her identity as an American, as an Afghan, as a fairly secular person, and as a Muslim. In this composition by Scott Johnson, Shekaiba dreams of returning to her homeland. The words are in English and Dari. Scott Johnson is known for is compositions that use voice as an element in the musical development.