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2000s: An interesting glimpse into life in Taliban controlled Afghanistan
The Swallows Of Kabul
What you need to know before your trail
Since the ascendancy of the Taliban the lives of Mosheen and his beautiful wife, Zunaira, have been gradually destroyed. Mosheen’s dream of becoming a diplomat has been shattered and Zunaira can no longer even appear on the streets of Kabul unveiled. Atiq is a jailer who guards those who have been condemned to death; the darkness of prison and the wretchedness of his job have seeped into his soul. Atiq’s wife, Musarrat, is suffering from an illness no doctor can cure. Yet, the lives of these four people are about to become inexplicably intertwined, through death and imprisonment to passion and extraordinary self-sacrifice.
Locations
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Kabul
‘A city in an advanced stage of decomposition’.
A city cut off from the world and closed to anyone within it too. Anything resembling free will, freedom and individuality is banned. Taliban thugs and gangs patrol the streets looking for anyone who they believe to be disobeying the rules of the land. Men are dragged to the mosque and even young boys can be attacked for the minor of reasons. A broken window for example is also punishable by whipping since a woman not wearing a veil might be seen through such a window. Women are the most controlled of all.
Having to wear the burqua:
‘Of all the burdens they’ve put on us, that’s the most degrading…It cancels my face and takes away my identity and turns me into an object…If I put that damn veil on, I’m neither a human being nor an animal. I’m just an affront, a disgrace, a blemish that has to be hidden.’
One line seems to sum up the entire feeling of those living in this closed and enclosed environment. An old man says one day “Do you think we’ll ever be able to hear music in Kabul one day?” ‘
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Swallows Of Kabul
Destination: Kabul Author/Guide: Yasmina Khadra Departure Time: 2000s
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