BBC News: A new documentary celebrates Ahmad Zahir, the ‘60s and ‘70s icon who mysteriously died in 1979. Arwa Haider talks to the people making the film, including Zahir’s daughter, about how the singer combined popularity with protest. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 22, 2018 ISLAMABAD — The consequences of Afghanistan’s increasingly deadly war are weighing heaviest on the nation’s civilians, with women bearing the brunt of the violence. The Taliban banned music and girls education, and restricted outdoor activities of women when the group was controlling most of Afghanistan. But violence and social
Tolo News: Thousands of music fans cheered their favorite musicians and singers at a music festival in Bamiyan province on Friday. The festival will continue for two days. Organizers of the event said the festival is aimed at strengthening tourism and supporting Afghanistan’s ancient culture. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The 2018 Polar Music Prize has been awarded to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) and Dr Ahmad Sarmast, its founder and director, in recognition of how this inspirational organization has used the power of music to transform young people’s lives. The king of Sweden on Thursday night handed over the award to the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 14, 2018 The Afghan National Institute of Music (ANIM) and its founder have won the 2018 Polar Music Prize, a Swedish award, in recognition of “how this inspirational organization has used the power of music to transform young people’s lives.” The award panel said on February 14 that the music
Gulf News: It is a chilly Friday morning — the Afghan weekend — but Salim Shaheen, Afghanistan’s “Sultan of Cinema”, has graciously agreed to meet for a chat in his middle-class downtown Kabul neighbourhood. In the face of perpetual threat, the director, producer and actor extraordinaire has carried Afghanistan’s film industry for more than two decades almost
The Washington Post: “Music has always been in the blood of Afghans, but it was silenced for a long time,” said Massood Sanjer, program manager for Tolo Television and a founder of the show, in its 13th season. “ ‘Afghan Star’ has created a revolution in music at the same time the country has moved to democracy.” But not
Tolo News: The Afghanistan National Institute Of Music (ANIM) on Sunday honored well known singer, Aryana Sayeed, with an award for bravery. Aryana has held public music concerts on a number of occasions in Afghanistan, including her show to mark Afghanistan’s Independence Day in August. This comes amid strong opposition of such events by some
Mohammad Ahmadi VOA News July 5, 2017 A council of Shi’ite religious leaders in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan banned a local musical festival, calling it “Harram” or against Islamic law, while many other religious leaders hailed it as art and a cultural event. Local officials say that despite the disagreement with religious leaders, the
PRI: Sulyman Qardash and I are in a rehearsal studio in Oakland. He’s the lead singer and guitarist of Kabul Dreams, one of Afghanistan’s first rock bands, and picks up a guitar to play me the song “Saturated Hope” off their newest album. Click here to read more (external link).