Category Archives: Everyday Life
In pictures: Everyday Afghanistan
Sofrep: A series of pictures depicting the Afghanistan not often shown in the headlines, not soaked in blood or rife with shell casings. Rarely is it an easy life, but it’s still not one you often see. Click here to view photos.
The Tricksters of Afghanistan’s New Online-Dating Scene
The Atlantic: When makiz nasirahmad, a 24-year-old Afghan American who recently lived in Afghanistan, received a Facebook friend request from a woman with an unfamiliar name, she didn’t think twice about accepting it. The woman’s profile picture had clearly been copied off the internet, but Nasirahmad figured that the woman could be a relative of
Inside the ancient art of glass-blowing in country where only a few keeping it alive
ABC News: For 200 years, Ghulam Sakhi’s family has been blowing glass in the ancient Afghan city of Herat. He creates azure, indigo and green goblets, cups and vases that have been sold in fancy stores overseas, but like so many Afghans the artisan struggles to make a living and as he tries to keep this
This is Afghanistan: the nomadic community living at the ‘end of the world’
Marta Pascual Juanola via WAToday (Australia): I could never have imagined that five years later my partner and I would be trekking along the country’s Karakoram, Pamir and Hindu Kush ranges, searching for one of the last nomadic cultures in the world: the Pamiri Kyrgyz. Afghanistan’s Kyrgyz nomads live in the high-altitude flats of the
Where Instagramers and Taliban Play in Afghanistan
South China Morning Post: Ishkashim is a bright spot in Afghanistan’s long-suffering tourism industry as it attracts those seeking superb selfies. And it’s perfectly safe – just ask the locals. Ishkashim is a small district in Afghanistan’s far northeast Badakhshan province that serves as the gateway to the famed Wakhan Valley – home to some of
Playing cards in Helmand under the Taliban’s nose
BBC News: People in Helmand Province might be exhausted and desperate after many years of war and violence. But every Friday night, they still gather in dimly-lit rooms for a laugh and card games – right under the Taliban’s nose. Click here for more (external link).
Life under the Taliban shadow government
ODI: Based on first-hand interviews with more than 160 Taliban fighters and officials, as well as civilians, this paper examines how the Taliban govern the lives of Afghans living under their rule. Taliban governance is more coherent than ever before; high-level commissions govern sectors such as finance, health, education, justice and taxation, with clear chains of command and policies
Kabul Residents Tell Story of Russian Cars in Afghanistan
Sputnik: Russian auto exports to Afghanistan date back to Soviet times, to the 1930s. The mass export of Russian cars started in the 1960s. Afghanistan was one of those countries where Russian cars, trucks and buses were commonly seen. However, during the Afghan war, Soviet and Russian cars wore out from wear and tear. Kabul’s
Past His Sell-By Date? Kabul’s Old Watering-Can Seller
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan: Mohammad Mirza cuts a striking figure on the streets of Kabul, bristling with bright green plastic watering cans he sells to passersby. He says he’s 97 years old. Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.