A Co Tyrone teenager who has battled a heart condition since birth has joined forces with Afghanistan’s first women's orchestra for a song aimed at peace-building and supporting women’s rights.
Cara Monaghan (16), from Cookstown, performs with Ensemble Zohra for the song, 'Gham Be Haya'. It is part of a partnership with local inter-cultural arts charity Beyond Skin, funded by the Community Relations Council.
The teenager, who is a peace ambassador for the charity founded by Darren Ferguson, said: "I’ve really loved it and I loved playing with the orchestra".
Cara has battled health problems since birth after she was diagnosed with a rare heart condition, pulmonary arteriovenous fistula, which can shunt blood flow in the wrong direction around the body.
She has undergone numerous life-saving surgeries, including an operation to treat a hole in the breast bone.
Her mum Jacinta said it was at this stage that she developed her passion for music.
"At that time, when she was in and out of hospital, One Direction was a big thing and Cara was very fond of Niall Horan," she said.
"She took this notion of wanting an acoustic guitar and we thought she would just play it and it would be a one-night wonder. But she asked for guitar lessons and her studies came on in leaps and bounds.
"She found her love of music and we discovered that she had a voice.
"She’s very shy until she gets on stage, but when she gets there, she turns into a different character."
As her musical skills have developed, Cara has taken part in more performances and has been worked on partnerships with groups and musicians in Sri Lanka, Colombia, Palestine and Israel.
The latest project with the Afghan Women’s Orchestra involves former students from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music teaming up with young female musicians in Northern Ireland in a bid to develop a more peaceful and intercultural society to confront racism and sectarianism.
Mr Ferguson said: "Since we met Cara she has performed in concerts, music videos, film projects and at prestigious events with local and international professional musicians - using music to connect communities and doing events that bring us together with our neighbours around the world.
"All this, and Cara only turned 16 last October - she is only getting started."
