Under Taliban rule (1996-2001), instrumental music and public performance in Afghanistan were almost totally banned. Instruments that were discovered by the Taliban’s morality police were destroyed; sometimes publicly burned or “hanged” along with confiscated audio and video cassettes, televisions, and camcorders. Only the singing of certain religious songs and unaccompanied hymns of praise to the Taliban were allowed on radio and television. Many musicians hid their instruments in their homes, destroyed them, or left the country. Those who stayed suffered severe repercussions, including public humiliation and arrests.
Over the past 20 years, Afghan musical life saw a tentative resurgence. Some well-known musicians returned from exile; new music conservatories and schools were formed and opened their doors to girls as well. However, even after Taliban rule, the practice of music by women remained a thorn in the side of many. Earlier this March, the Afghan Ministry of Education passed a resolution banning girls and women over the age of 12 from singing in public.
What will happen now that the Taliban has returned to power? “When they are in power, they will ban all art,” wrote Sahraa Karimi, the filmmaker and president of state organization Afghan Film, in a desperate open letter to the world last week. We spoke to an Afghan musician who has helped to shape the country’s musical development over the past 20 years about the current situation in the country, why music has historically been banned by the Taliban, and what they hope for the future of music in the country.
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