William Attwood Lecture: Saad Mohseni

Time 100 honoree, Saad Mohseni, author of Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul, shares the deeply moving and surprising story of the attempt to build a truly independent media company in contemporary Afghanistan. He will be interviewed by Tom Freston, former CEO of Viacom and a founding member of MTV Networks. 

Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Group, Afghanistan’s largest media company, charts a twenty-year effort to bring a free press to his country after years of Taliban rule, and how that effort persists even after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Mohseni’s position at Moby affords him unique insights into this extraordinary yet troubled country, the youngest in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and his powerful account captures the spirit and resilience of the Afghan people—notably the hundreds of men and women still working in Moby's Kabul office today, who, once again under Taliban rule, create programs, report the news, and educate the public. 

Elm Street Books will be on site with books for purchase and signing by the author.  

The William Attwood Lecture Series presents distinguished speakers from the fields of journalism, government, literature, and/or politics to the community. The Series honors longtime New Canaan resident, journalist, and author William Attwood, who during his professional career was a presidential speechwriter for John F. Kennedy and ambassador to Guinea and Kenya. 

Photo by Brigitte Lacombe