The Real Afghanistan | Inside Afghan Schools & Band-e-Amir Lake | The Secret Lives of Afghan Women
Travel Afghanistan alongside local Afghan women. In this episode, we visit various educational initiatives as well as some of Bamiyan's outskirts and beautiful nature (Dragon Valley and City of Zohak) and, the famous Band-e-Amir blue lakes.
Episode 1 - The Real Afghanistan, Kabul (Meet Somaya & Marium) | The Secret Lives of Afghan Women (1)
https://youtu.be/3MYvyogVQWY
Episode 2 - The Real Afghanistan, Kabul | The Secret Lives of Afghan Women (2)
https://youtu.be/DFsuxov6goY
Episode 3 - The Real Afghanistan | Buddhas of Bamiyan (Meet Zahra) | The Secret Lives of Afghan Women
https://youtu.be/1r_wZiy6IRY
[Thumbnail photo by @travellestan]
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I've spent several months in Afghanistan, and in this series, I want to take you on a trip around Afghanistan's main provinces and cities, all in the company of local Afghan women tour guides, and spending time visiting various women-focused initiatives as we go. Supporting where we can.
The lives and experiences of Afghan women in Afghanistan today are nuanced, complex. The women we see here in this documentary are the ones who managed to make their own way in a society structured against them; who have their family and friends supporting them in the background. The ones who do not want to be shown on camera are perhaps ones that struggle more and - this doesn't even touch on the ones we didn't see throughout the production of this documentary because they're not permitted to leave their homes.
It is a sad truth that their voices, at least for now, will not be heard.
Nevertheless, there is a portion of the population that has until now been largely forgotten about by mainstream media. The ones who want their story told; their faces shown.
Over this multi-part series, I travel to;
Kabul
Mazar
Bamiyan (& Band-e-amir)
Kandahar
Herat
On our way, we meet women from the local craft market, have an embroidery class, visit a local women's retreat center, have a traditional cooking class, visit several schools and academies, visit a shipping factory run by a woman shipping clothes all over the world, spend an afternoon at an orphanage, visit a women-run art gallery, and dine at women-run restaurants.
Travel to Afghanistan may be ethically complex, but I believe it can be done ethically. And by supporting local businesses and initiatives, it's one step towards doing your part.
NOTE: Every woman in this mini documentary has agreed to be on camera and, indeed, are happy to finally be given a platform to share their voices. There are various places visited that are not represented in this series, either for the preference of the individual or organisation or for their respect and safety.
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Travelling as a Woman in Afghanistan
One of my favourite things about travelling with women in Afghanistan is that there are so many things you can experience BECAUSE you’re a woman. Not in spite of the fact.
Things that as a man would not be accessible.
In a world dominated by men, you’re invited into the loud and colourful world of women. And the women’s-only spaces in Afghanistan are some of the loudest.
That world, although on the outside much quieter, softer, much more demure... has a whole lot inside waiting for you to experience. A world full of emotions: Laughter, joy, smiles, and pain.
A world much louder than the world of men could ever be.
Women just don’t need to shout about it, is all.
What goes on behind closed doors in the world of women in Afghanistan, I can’t go into too much detail.
There are men reading this, after all.
And as sacred spaces for women, I’ll keep it as that.
But one thing I can say is that women may be silenced, they may be oppressed, but they do not let themselves live in silence. They do not let themselves live only in oppression.
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Further Reading;
- Ethics of visiting Afghanistan
https://koryogroup.com/blog/is-it-ethical-to-visit-afghanistan-visiting-afghanistan-today
- Travelling Afghanistan with Local Women: An Honest Debrief.
https://koryogroup.com/blog/travelling-afghanistan-womens-tours
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If you want to support any of the organisations featured in this series, please contact me on Instagram - @zoediscovers
(Here you will also find photos & BTS of production)
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This trip was made possible with the collaboration of Koryo Tours, Somaya Moniry, Afghan Sisters Travel, and Masood Shnizai and his team at Afghania Travel.
Afghanistan Tours - koryogroup.com
Somaya & Afghan Sisters Travel @somayamoniry
Thank you to my Patrons who make long-form content like this not supported by ads or brand deals, etc possible. Without the support, I truly couldn't do it.
Support me here - https://www.patreon.com/zoediscovers
“No one who has spent time in Afghanistan has left unimpressed by its people’s hospitality, dignity, and firm sense of cultural identity.”
TJB, February 2022, Cambridge, MA
#afghanistan #bamdeamir #bamiyan