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SCENE AFGHAN

ISSUE 61 - AUGUST 2009

Howzat! The inside story of how Afghan cricket took on the world, and won

PLUS:

A Smucker’s guide to the US Army Election ’09 – the essential who’s who Wardak’s surprising party scene Humvee windows on the world perspective

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insight

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people

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reviews

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pics • life

SCENE AFGHAN

Afghan Scene August 2009

Introduction Contents

Afghan Scene August 2009

ISSUE 61 - AUGUST 2009

Publisher: Afghan Scene Ltd, Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Afghanistan Manager & Editor: Afghan Scene Ltd, Kabul, Afghanistan Design: Kaboora Production Advertising: [email protected] Printer: Emirates Printing Press, Dubai Contact: [email protected] / www.afghanscene.com Afghan Scene welcomes the contribution of articles and / or pictures from its readers. Editorial rights reserved.

7 Introduction 10 Kabul at work David Gill talks to one of Kabul’s top entertainers about life at the top of the wedding singing industry. 14 The triumph of Afghan cricket The inside story of how the Afghan cricket team went from a ragtag mob of refugees to world class pros.

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24 How to lose friends and alienate people Americans newspaper legend Philip Smucker reveals how to infuriate US generals and get turfed off military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. 32 From L’atmosphere with Love Scene’s in-house restaurant expert revisits and old flame and finds that some things never change. 38 Afghanistan through a Humvee window International man of mystery Guilad Khan’s extraordinary photos of Afghanistan, as seen by US soldiers. 44 Party time, in Wardak The Afghan Hound checks out the social scene at a time when only the mad, bad and dangerous to know step foot into Wardak province.

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50 Be Scene Kabul’s beautiful people out and about at the city’s best bashes, shindigs and parties. 56 Classifieds Got something to sell or buy? Fortunately Scene’s all new small ad section is here for you. 58 The Contenders With the presidential elections just weeks away, here’s your handy guide to the big beasts of Afghan politics. 64 Goodbyeee! After a ridiculously long time in Afghanistan, Chris Alexander says a fond farewell and insists all is not lost.

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68 Afghan Essentials A super-sized directory of the best restaurants and hotels in Kabul. Afghan Scene August 2009

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Introduction

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Historic choices H

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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as it really only been five years? Afghan Scene was with you the last time Afghanistan chose its first ever democratically elected leader. And we are still here as the country once again prepares to go the polls. This time round things are just as historic and, if anything, even more important. Afghans have the pick of 41 candidates to lead them for the next four and a half years. Whoever prevails will have to deal with an inbox from hell: rising insurgency, entrenched corruption and wavering support among western publics who are increasingly asking whether all the blood and treasure is worth it. We profile just a handful of the contenders in these pages. They are regarded as some of the “leading candidates”, despite the lack of decent opinion polling to show who really commands public support. Even though the western media and many western diplomats decided some time ago that

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the incumbent would cruise to re-election, very possibly in the first round, all that is really certain is uncertainty. But perhaps more important than whichever man wins – and we can perhaps be sure that it will be a man – is the process itself. The gravest risk is that the election will be plagued by accusations of fraud and the outcome will not be seen as legitimate by many Afghans. All the candidates owe it to their country to wage a fair fight and avoid angry Dah-ling - great cut, recriminations after all but I’m not sure the votes are counted. � about the colour...

[email protected]

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Scene Team

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Snappers

Afghan Scene Magazine is proud to showcase work from the best photographers in Afghanistan David Gill is a British writer, photographer and videogrpher focusing social documentary and overseas development. His current book project Kabul, a City at Work is a selection over 100 original portraits. web.mac.com/shot2bits/work

Leslie Knott is a Canadian photographer and film maker who has been following the Afghan Cricket team on their quest for world cup glory for more than a year. The documentary, which takes them to Peshawar, Jersey, Tanzania, Argentina and South Africa is due out later this year www.outoftheashes.tv Guilad Kahn is a photographer, videographer and producer based in Bangkok. He’s been visiting Kabul since 2001, inbetween trips to Myanmar, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Nigeria. www.guiladkahn.com

Almost all of the photographs and cartoons featured in Afghan Scene are available for sale direct from the artists. Most of them are available for commissions, here and elsewhere. If you would like to contribute to Afghan Scene, or if you can’t get hold of a contributor, please contact [email protected].

If we get a move on we can capture it in time for the 9 o’clock news

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Kabul at work

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The

MAY I?: Guests dance solo at Nawen Wedding Hall | David Gill

Wedding Singer

DAVID GILL meets the crooner behind Kabul’s biggest parties

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he wedding business out here is huge and Kabul is awash with Las Vegas style glass and neon lit palaces, housing thousands of celebrating Afghans every night in one giant single auditorium. Actually it’s two. Sexual apartheid exists here like nowhere else on the planet. The men and women remain completely separate throughout the whole affair. Baryalai Wali, 38, is one of Kabul’s leading wedding

singers who performs nightly to the sexually segregated. Although he is an economics graduate he comes from a family of wedding singers and since returning from exile in Pakistan six years ago he is now one of the leading artists in Kabul’s vibrant wedding scene. Families regularly splash up to $30,000 on a wedding. Having first watched him perform I decided to arrange an interview. The day before we were

Kabul, A City at Work is a selection of over 100 original portraits from the capital. It’s authors describe it as a window into Kabul’s soul. For more information visit www.web.mac.com/shot2bits/work | www. kabulatwork.com

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due to meet I received a phone call. Audibly distressed he told me that his son has been kidnapped and he apologised profusely saying that he could no longer honour his obligations. When we finally met a few weeks later, he was fine but not eager to expand on his personal ordeal. His son was back at home, his bank account slightly lighter. He did say

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that his was just one of the many unreported kidnappings that are common in Kabul. To him they are just criminals in a country that has no security. He doesn’t blame the Taliban – some of them even discreetly attend his weddings, he says. This is his home and for now, business is too good to think about leaving again. When or if the music dies in Kabul, he will too. �

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Outof the

ashes Journalist turned filmmaker TIM ALBONE on the Afghan cricket team’s incredible journey from refugee enthusiasts to international sports stars

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MAN OF THE MATCH: Triumphant opening batsman and spin bowler Mohammad Nabi is held aloft by teammate’ | Leslie Knott

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hen the British marched into Afghanistan in 1838, they brought polo mallets, fox hounds and cigars. They brought imperial hubris, bone china and cases of port. But the players of the Great Game also brought another great game: cricket. One hundred and seventy-one years later, cricket has returned here, an outpost of the world’s most civilised sport in one of the world’s most warravaged places. Today, having only had a national team since 2001, the Afghan squad has achieved the unthinkable and qualified to play One Day International cricket. At the start of 2008 they were one of the lowest ranked teams in the world, below the tiny Pacific island of Vanuatu. Today they have climbed to 14 and only just missed out on a spot at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Along the way the team has beaten cricketing powerhouses Ireland, Scotland, Bermuda and Namibia. They also chalked up victories against lesser-known cricketing nations such as Japan, Italy and Argentina. When you compare their achievements to that of Afghanistan’s soccer team, the country’s second most successful team, the triumph is all the more incredible. Post-Taliban the soccer squad has won only four games, including two victories over Kyrgyzstan. For the last 15 months we, a rag tag mix of a Canadian (Leslie Knott), a German (Lucy Martens) and a Brit (me), have followed and filmed the cricket team during their meteoric rise. It is impossible to think of any other national team that would have welcomed us so openly. We were allowed into their homes, their changing rooms, we stayed in the same hotels and traveled on the team

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bus. What we have captured is a remarkable tale of triumph over adversity. Our first stop with the team was the island of Jersey, off the coast of England. If the Afghans were shocked by the green fields and blue sea of Europe, it was nothing compared to the shock the residents of Jersey got. The team with their long flowing shalawar kameez robes, big bushy beards and sandals caused quite a stir. “They speak French, don’t they?” One woman asked. “Why do they eat with their hands?” Another lady enquired. When they stopped to

NATIONAL PRIDE: Practice in the Kabul cricket nets | Leslie Knott

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ALLAH AKBAR: Prayer time on the boundary line | Leslie Knott

pray during match breaks the islanders issued a collective gasp. The Allah Akbars that followed them onto the pitch, accompanied every catch and the fall of wickets, drew stony stares. The bankers, accountants and traders wondered, very often aloud, who these men were. When they won the tournament and danced the Attan, the traditional Afghan dance, men, women and children stopped and stared, their jaws literally dropped.

lumps of piled-up dirt mark a boundary devoid of spectators. “I started cricket here,” says Hasti Gul Abid, a fast bowler and middle-order batsman. He leans down to kiss the earth of the Kacha Gari refugee camp cricket pitch. It was here, in Pakistan, that a group of young Afghan boys, stateless and far from home used to throw a ball around and where an unlikely source of national pride was born. A decade on, and Afghanistan still has little fghan cricket has its roots in the refugee to offer its traumatised citizens. But Hasti camps of Peshawar, it was there during the Gul and his Afghan compatriots in Pakistan 30 years of war that many Afghans fled. have, against all odds, become national heroes. Today smashed concrete is all that remains of the Idolised in a country with little else to admire, camp’s pitch; the outfield is a tangle of weeds, and their extraordinary journey has taken them

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SALAAM: Hastigul makes friends with the competition in Argentina | Leslie Knott

from that concrete pitch back to Afghanistan and all the way to the grassy battlefields of world-class cricket. After victory in Jersey we followed the team to Tanzania and Argentina. The team, against all the odds, won both tournaments. In Tanzania many swam in the sea for the first time. Nawroz Mangal, the captain fretted over their safety: “Don’t go too deep, come back,” he called as his players jumped and swam in the waves. There was a level of naivety to the players that was heart warming. These are not the pampered sports stars we are used to in the west, they were open, funny and above all incredibly friendly. After winning in Argentina, Afghanistan were off to South Africa and the twelve team World Cup Qualifier. If they finished in the top four they

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would make it to the next World Cup. If they finished in the top six they would gain One Day International Status, meaning they could play the top teams in the world, including England, Australia and Pakistan. Despite beating Ireland (the eventual winners), Scotland and Bermuda, the team finished fifth, just missing out on the World Cup. It was still a remarkable achievement. The tournament in South Africa was an eye opener for the team. They stayed in one of Johannesburg’s poshest hotels and despite sharing it with the Australian and South African teams the Afghans were given the top floor. For two weeks they lived in luxury and played on some the greatest grounds in the world. _ _ In Jersey and Argentina, eating had been a

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Mohammed Nabi

Ahmad Shah, coach and former player

Noor Ali

Hastigul Abed

Shafiq Shafiq

Ashgar Stanakzai

Shazada Massoud

Karim Sadiq - opening batsman

Nawruz Mangal - Captain

Samiullah Shinwari

Dawlat Ahmadzai

Taj Malik

big problem. It was expensive and finding Halal food was difficult. They often had to resort to fast food. In South Africa, with its large Muslim community, this was no problem. The International Cricket Council even provided a liaison officer to help with their needs. __ _____Aside from their cricketing success the

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Hamid Hassan - Fast Bowler

Sami Shinwari - Spin Bowler

Tim Albone spent three years as The Times correspondent in Kabul. He has been following Afghan Cricket Team for more than a year. Learn more about the most talked about sports documentary in decades, and ways you can help, at www.outoftheashes.tv.

Coach Kabir Khan www.afghanscene.com

highlight of the trip was the safari we all went on. Travelling in open topped Land Rovers the players were terrified to find rhinos only meters away from them. The fear didn’t last long and only moments later some of the team were out of the vehicles and chasing each other around the savannah, mimicking the animals they had seen. On their return to Kabul hundreds of fans turned up to greet them off the plane. They travelled to Jalalabad in a large convoy and were stopped along the way by well-wishers. On the outskirts of the city thousands had waited to see their heroes. It was complete pandemonium. Players were dragged into fans’ cars, as children hung off the doors, soldiers fired machine guns into the air and live music blared. The filming is now over and we start the long process of translating and editing the footage. It has been an amazing journey and one we will never forget. It was inspiring to see how much the team wanted to win but also how they kept their humour and grace, even when they lost. Hameed Hassan, one of the stars on the team, summed up what cricket meant. After almost losing to the Cayman Islands in Argentina, a defeat that would have put them out of the competition, he said: “I have seen people die and I have not shed a tear. But there is something about cricket that gets me here [pointing to his heart]. Cricket is our chance.” �

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...and as our first two candidates for the Swimsuit Section of Miss Afghanistan 2009 step onto the catwalk...

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Boris is our new Gender Equality Officer

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Hotel Pentagon: You can check in but you should be prepared to leave - abruptly Veteran reporter PHILIP SMUCKER on his love-hate relationship with the US military and being kicked off embeds

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hen I entered his office, the Lieutenant Colonel had my story up on his computer screen and a look of utter disgust on his face. I was there to ask about the upcoming air assault that I was leaving on, but he was in no mood to chat. “I’ve taken it upon myself to forbid you to speak to my young officers,” he said. My jaw dropped. I hadn’t seen this one coming. Only a week earlier, the senior US officer had mentioned in passing that “my wife really likes

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your reporting”. That was a good sign, I thought, trying to decipher the tea leaves along the Af-Pak border. But the walls were now closing in. The colonel, a former Special Forces commander from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, said he was using his “discretion” to put me on the next helicopter out of his area of operations in Kunar Province. “This is a decision that I have taken on my own, but you must understand that the last thing I want to do is censor you in any way,” adding

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that my reporting while on a recently botched air assault had not given his soldiers a sense of “high morale”. I protested. I gave him my best lecture on “The Importance of the Free Press in an Open Society,” but it fell on deaf ears. I played my last card, “Sir, you are making yourself the news,” I said, matterof-factly. “You are making a veiled threat,” he charged. “What? You are the one putting me on a helicopter.” He asked me to come down the hall with him to book a flight. I said, “You can export me, Sir. I’ll be in my tent,” at which point I turned and walked away. Within the hour, I was on the “red-eye” Chinook flight back to Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul.

I had been the first American reporter to be ousted from Iraq, although I was not an embedded journalist at the time. The current head of the US Marine Corps took it upon himself to make that call when I told CNN that I was “about 100 miles south of Baghdad, somewhere between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers”. This he deemed “giving away the position” of the Marines barreling up an unimproved highway towards the Iraqi capital. The editors of the two newspapers that I worked for at that time, London’s Daily Telegraph and the US daily, The Christian Science Monitor, wrote to the Pentagon to contend that my short Q&A with CNN provided information that was already well known within the public realm, and in any case, was not nearly precise enough to give anyone’s position away. A simple lesson in geometry should have been enough to convince the general, however, that I hadn’t given away anyone’s position. For my alleged indiscretion, I was seized, searched, marched at gunpoint into a US Humvee and made to strip down to my underwear in the desert inside a barbed wire pen before being expelled to Kuwait. Upon receiving new press credentials, I t hadn’t been the first time. As an American returned to the front lines and was confronted who wants to see the US military prevail and again – this time by a lovely Marine Corps peace come to Afghanistan, I have great love Major - who said a helicopter was “on its way” and respect for the fighting men and women to escort me out of Iraq, but that – since I was sacrificing for the cause. I don’t care, however, for so cooperative the last time – I should just wait the draconian system that Donald Rumsfeld set up for its imminent arrival. to “embed” reporters for the coverage of this war. It I fled the scene with the help of a British is a corrupt – one sided – system that has nothing colleague, flagged down an Army Unit and to do with our nation’s long tradition of promoting hitched a ride to Baghdad. My editors were free speech and the right of the American public informed that the Marines would not relent. to know, but almost everything to do with the Despite a phone call from one of my editors, military’s efforts to spin the news. a spokesman in Qatar vowed, “We will hunt

“Shut up, boy, or we’re going to hog tie you!”

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SNOOZE YOU LOSE: US soldiers doze as the Taliban cavaly ride into town

Smucker down!” Two weeks later, while I was drinking a beer in the lobby of the Palestine Hotel, several Marines finally surrounded me and took me down to the basement. I squealed for them to release me and a Southern major with the First Marine Corps Expeditionary force snapped, “Shut up, boy, or we’re going to hog tie you!” I reminded them that my editors had turned down a request from Larry King Live to talk with me about my previous ordeal. Two hours later I was escorted to freedom by a bored-looking officer who would say only, “Sir, I am escorting you to freedom, but, as an employee of the US government, I do not have permission to speak with you.”

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So getting ousted from my embed in Afghanistan in April was not a surprise. Nevertheless, the kind, friendly treatment that I received a few weeks after that looked like the dawning of a new era in openness and love between the press and the military. The senior officer in charge of the sector I had been assigned to, a gentleman and a scholar from California, Colonel John Spiszer, apologized for my ouster and said the incident had been “mishandled”. Shortly after my ouster, I was languishing – with the kind assistance of Captain Scot Keith -- at the famous “Hotel California” at Bagram Air base when I received the following note:

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MILITARY FATIGUES: Smucker in Kunar with a senior Afghan police official

Dear Mr Smucker: I heard you were having a good time at Task Force Duke and are writing some good stories. Wanted to see if you were interested in coming to A.O. Yukon … to write about the greatest Airborne Brigade in the Army, and maybe get us some great local press…. Let me know. MAJ Matthew R. Gregory, AIRBORNE!!! I was in a “Hua, Hua” mood when a young lieutenant fresh out of West Point met me as I stumbled off a Chinook in Paktika Province for my next embed. He suggested I write a story on a pair of West Pointers; lovers divided by the Hindu Kush. In the story about two “love birds”, which I counted as my best effort at “fluff”, I pointed out the motto of the unit I was with -- “It’s the people,

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Stupid!” -- derived from a book written by one Major Tommy Cardone, who had spent time in the province before and believed that US forces should protect the local population. I had left the young lieutenant behind at another base, but he professed anger at my use of the “motto” in the story, when it was published. Over the phone, he said, “It is a privilege for you to cover the U.S. military and you have broken the rules, Mr Smucker! Now it is time for you to leave.” I objected, of course and asked to appeal the decision of the 24-year-old to his higher command.

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a well meaning, hard-charging paratrooper that got a little ahead of himself last night. Major Altenburg stated that he was fine with you staying and supports you staying; so you stayed.” (Mercy knows no limits, I thought to myself.) The reprieve provided me time to write several more stories about the US forces working in Paktika and Khost. I guess I should have been grateful, but I’m a professional and I hated to have to beg all the time just for access to a public institution representing the “free world”. Nevertheless, I left a happy camper from this last three month “embed” with several sizzling stories in my notebook that the Pentagon collectively frowned upon when they came out. To conclude, I’m forever hopeful that, with the new era ushered in by the election of a new commander-in-chief, we are going to see a loosening of restrictions on Western and Afghan reporters. I’ve only been strip-searched once in the last decade and never actually hog-tied, but I still have scary dreams. I suspect my only revenge might come when I get back to Washington and book a round of golf behind my nemesis, the Marine Corps Commandante, at the Army-Navy Country Club. I just want to hear his aid-de-camp have to scream “Incoming!” on my behalf -- even if I miss. My occasional urge for retaliation against humiliation aside and for making me feel like a loathsome and battered wife, I still love these guys! Trust me! � MARCHING ORDERS: Smucker being disembedded

“I want you on the next helicopter out of there!” he wailed into the receiver. Well, to make a long story short, the Liutenant Colonel who headed the unit I was with ordered an inquiry into the incident as I sat waiting for

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the next helicopter out. Two majors who had explained the unit’s motto to me over dinner defended me and as one of their colleagues wrote me a tell-tale note a day later, “Sorry about the incident last night. The Liutenant is

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FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Smucker poses with the US commander in chief

All our vehicles now come pre-wired for explosives

Philip Smucker is author of the forthcoming book My Brother, My Enemy: America and the Battle of Ideas in the Islamic World. He has been embedded for three months with the US Army in eastern Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan.

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From

L’Atmosphere with

love

Scene’s in-house restaurant expert, ROSEMARY STASEK, revisits an old flame and finds that some things never change

Restaurant Info: L’Atmosphere Taimani Street 4 turn right Or Qalla-e Fatullah Street 4 turn left 32

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ne of the most beloved shows on American radio is A Prairie Home Companion. Week after week Maurice, the arrogant maitre d’ of the Café Boeuf, conspires to frustrate the simple Minnesotan diner played by host Garrison Keillor. That’s me at L’Atmosphere. In February 2005 I made my first visit to the romantic new restaurant everyone was talking about. I had French Onion soup on a first date with a handsome retired colonel. The soup had me sick for two days and the colonel broke my heart. I should have taken that as a sign. I’ve never heard of anyone ever getting sick at L’Atmosphere again, but plenty of hearts have been broken there over the years. L’Atmo has played such a central role in the social life of Kabul that the food is almost an afterthought. Restaurants come and go over time and their popularity ebbs and flows but L’Atmosphere has remained a go-to place for that certain crowd in town. Certainly the atmosphere is a big factor. Perhaps the loveliest place in town throughout the year. In the winter the house is cozy and romantic; in the summer the yard and the pool are an oasis. And despite year after year of dire security warnings (“A Bali in the making”, according to one British security expert), it remains one of the few places on the approved short list for most folks. But eventually you have to eat there and that’s where things can get frustrating. The restaurant has hosted what has seemed like a revolving door of cooks over the years, most with French restaurant experience. For brief interludes the food has been good, but then shortly returns to a limp façade of French food coming out of an indifferent Kabul kitchen. For this review I hauled it back to try the newest selection of “novelties” on offer from

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MELTS YOUR HEART: A classic French cheesy treat | Jason P Howe

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asked for what was left of our starters to be packed to go and eventually received the containers – with our main course packed to go and cold. Then there is the ongoing Irish Coffee saga. Every visit my long-suffering husband orders Irish Coffee. One visit it arrives, the next visit the waiter is adamant they have never served any such thing. So off he goes with his cup of coffee to the bar for a shot of the hard stuff. Or two. Of course there is good food to be had here. The filet with the béarnaise sauce keeps me coming back, the lamb chops can be good on a good night and the veggie pasta is pretty dependable. But let’s be honest, it’s not the food or the service that has kept L’Atmosphere in business for all these years. It’s the atmosphere and the knowledge that at some point in the evening you’ll see all the folks you might want to see. And maybe even get your heart broken. See you Thursday night at L’Atmo. � JOURS DE SALAD: Rabbit food, à L’Atmo | Jason P Howe

the yet-newest French chef. It looked promising so we tried the seafood salad with homemade cocktail sauce, the ham and melon starter and French fries with homemade mayonnaise. The seafood salad arrived to be a plate of lettuce with some smoked salmon and fake crab meat slices. The homemade cocktail sauce was oil and vinegar with maybe some lemon juice. The fries were great but the homemade mayonnaise was thin, orange and tart. Orange mayonnaise? When we asked for actual mayonnaise they brought a little dish of the American Garden stuff out of the bottle. The melon wasn’t that great either and if you can get one thing in Kabul in June it’s melon. Off to the kitchen I went to talk to the new chef about their interpretation of cocktail sauce

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and mayonnaise. This was 7pm and was told he had gone home for the day. At the beginning of the dinner service? And when I tried talking to the Afghan kitchen staff about the new dishes I was told to go back to my table. Yes, Go back to your table. Back to the table I went to experience that uniquely Kabul-French service perfected over the years. The service starts out fine when you finally get someone to take your order, the food tends to arrive eventually. But after that you slip into the invisible zone and the waiters never come back to check if everything is ok or if you need anything at any other point in your meal. Everyone it seems has their own stories about an episode here. One of mine is the time we

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So this democracy thing means I can vote for whoever my husband wants me to vote for?

Rosemary Stasek has short reviews of most Kabul restaurants at http://www. stasek.com/rrr. The adventures at the Café Boeuf can be enjoyed at http://prairiehome.publicradio.org.

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The way they see it

Combat photographer GUILAD KAHN went to Logar and captured Afghanistan as seen by most US soldiers – through three inches of bullet proof glass

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There ain’t no party like a

Wardak

party

Our favourite blogger, THE AFGHAN HOUND, relives a visit he made this winter to the badlands of Wardak

W

ardak province, if you believe the doom merchants (and we’re not short of them out here), is now virtually controlled by the Taliban. It’s totally impossible to travel there individually without a death wish or some serious close protection. That includes locals who do business in Kabul, or work with NGOs. Any Westerners who venture out to what can only be described as Cheyenne country, would be kidnapped upon arrival (they have spotters on the roads out of Kabul

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looking for scalps). Only there’s nowhere really to go out there. So why would you? Well... funny you should mention it but last weekend I visited the governor of Wardak for a ‘party’. This was my second visit. I first went there back in November and was amazed at the contradictory attitude of the governor who did his utmost to convince me that Wardak was on the up (‘up in flames’?). But I went along with his upbeat attitude, visited a Women Against Violence Conference and did a grip and grin

Afghan Scene August 2009

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Blog scene

Blog scene

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

“special” American guests. Conversational topics are the same as Kabul: the upcoming elections, Karzai’s failure to curb corruption, the surge and the latest wheeze of re-arming the locals in the form of Personal Protection Forces. It may have worked in Iraq but the old mujahdeen sat next to me has first hand knowledge (albeit with three missing fingers) of the Russians’ abysmal failure using the same old divide and rule strategies. Despite his wish for peace and his declaration that, ‘war is not the answer’ he talks fondly of his own personal history and how the Russians lost a whole division in one year between here and Logar. This man is a living history book and I could listen to him all night. Especially the story about the one wounded mujahdeen they buried in the snow inside

asleeping bag to keep him alive! But tonight is not about Afghanistan’s Descent into Chaos it’s about life and music. Abdul Hameed Kandahari is a famous singer from Kandahar and for the next three hours he serenades the crowd with poetry and song, some of it uplifting, some more soulful. The crowd loves it. Only I have no idea what’s going on – oblivious to Pashto, Hindi and Dari, as well they know. That is until his final curtain closer: “I am a truck driver”. A song for some strange reason that has an English chorus accompanied with charade-style impressions of a lorry driver. It brought the house down and three days later I am still humming it. �

For the latest ravings of the Afghan Hound, visit ww.foto8.com.

tour of rebuilding projects in the downtown area. We had what you might call ‘close support’ during the visit and I was never more than two yards away from an AK. The governor is a high profile target and his assassination would be a real coup for the Taliban. That same night we visited an army outpost about half a mile from his home. But this was as far as his kingdom stretched. His Green Zone if you will. The rest of the 9,000sq km of Wardak province? Well, someone else currently governed that. I think we can guess who. So three months on, with the surge about to begin, and at the personal invitation of the Governor, I traveled back to Wardak. The short trip

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out there, tucked into the back of a police truck was stunning. As we gunned through this winter wonderland the thought of a waiting IED in this South Asian Lapland was as far away from my mind as possible. Tonight was a night for singing and dancing with a special performance by the world famous AH Kandahari and his four-piece combo. To set the scene, the venue is a small room at the governor’s house, there are around thirty men and one woman all sat on toshaks on the floor drinking tea. Beards are de rigueur and the only one not sporting facial hair is the Governor and me (oh, and the girl). Guests are mix of local mullahs, ex-mujhadeen, businessmen and some

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The people at home just don’t seem to appreciate the progress we are making here...

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

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Afghan Scene August 2009

Party scene

Party scene

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

Be scene

Share your event or party pics with Aghan Scene. email [email protected]

UNCLE GLAM: Dan, Kim Kim, James and Randolp at the US 4th of July party

PER-PHEW’M: Ronnie covers up with Jasmine at the Chateau BBQ

TALI-MADMAN: Jerome in tux and turban SMUCKERED: Craig, oblivious to the coming big A VEIL OF A TIME: Aurelia and Amandine at at the British ball slap from Philip Schucker, at the Afghan News the contemporary art prize at Babur’s Garden & Pix party

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Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

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MANE MEN: Ian Pannell and Jamie Lyon at the Chateau BBQ

CONSTANCE GARDENER: Constance and Amman at the TMF art prize at Babur’s Garden

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PARTY PEOPLE: Sussanah and Kevin at the Afghan News & Pix party

ARTY FARTY: Sumeer and Tamim at the art prize 2009

IT’S AN ART LIFE: Tom and Diana at the Contemporary Art Prize

Afghan Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009

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Party scene

Party scene

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

LEAVING LASH VEGAS: Ex-Helmand man George at the Brit Embassy ball

BATTLE PLAN: Julie moves in on Michael at the Waterloo bash

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Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

EMBRASSE’D?: Emily and Miles share a moment at the Chateau

FULL RIG: Henri Moraud cuts a dash at the Gandamack

MUSKETEERS: Erica and Tom at the Waterloo ball

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BOWLED OVER: Belinda Bowling and Clement at the Caravanserai art prize

ATTACHE’D: Defence attache Simon with Hannah at the Waterloo dinner

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WHO’S THE SHOOTER: Reuters snapper Omar at the Contemporary Art Prize

RED FLAG FOR A PULL: Dave spots Mel and Sue at the Waterloo

BLUE BELLE: Peter and Hassina at the Gandamack’s Waterloo ball

Afghan Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009

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Party scene

Party scene

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

TURKISH FOUNTAIN: Abdul Wahab Momand, Zardasht Shams, Najib Manalai, Constance and Paul

THRILL ME: Trilby clad Woody and Matt at the US Embassy 4th July party

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Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009 Afghan

SMART SET: Scene’s founder Dominic with Alan and Mark at the Waterloo ball

JULY PHWOAR: Julie and PJ at the American Independence Day party

GRASSY KNOLL: (top to bottom) Jami and Caroline, John, Landry, Nell, Emily, and Lyra at the US embassy 4th July bash

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BEST OF BRITISH (AND FRENCH): John, Anna, Sam French, Gemma and Woody at the embassy charity ball

POOLING AROUND: Farrah, Sandra, Mic and Jema on sun loungers at the US EMbassy pool party

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SHOCK AND PAW: An undercover Romeo at the British ball

TO BOON OR NOT TO BOONE?: John Boon and Jon Boone keep everyone confused at the ANP party

MERRY MEN: John and Robin at the US Embassy 4th July party

Afghan Afghan Scene Scene August August 2009 2009

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Book scene

Classifieds scene

Now in Afghan Scene!

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

KABUL CLASSIFIEDS

4 bed house, Shar-e-Now Ref 2192. Saloon and dining room, 3 bath, 2 kitchens, terrace and sub basement, garden and car parking for up to 2 cars.$2,999 month, Call 0700 33 44 555 www.pc-af.com.

Trying to sell a bicycle or looking for love? Got a room to let or want to buy a house?

8 bed house, Qall-e-Fatullah Ref 8065. Saloon and dining room, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, out buildings, sub basement, garden and car parking for up to 10 cars with 2 entrance gates.$4,999 a month Call 0798 500 500 www.pc-af.com.

Afghan Scene is set to launch Afghanistan’s first comprehensive classified section for ex-pats, and all the ads are FREE.

ALS PER PeSrsOonNals

MLO and his M LT W l ir g y for Embass iendship, but fr r fo t o n , te ma ot required. fun. GSOH n

13 bed house, Shash Darak Ref 6047. 12 ensuite + 1 shared bath, 2 kitchens, sub basement, and car parking for up to 5 cars. $12,999 a month Call 0700 33 44 555 www.pc-af.com

USED CAR S

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6 bed house, Wazir Akbar Khan Ref 3167. Saloon, 3 baths, kitchen, out buildings, garden with swimming pool and car parking for up to 5 cars. $4,999 a month, Call 0700 33 44 555 www.pc-af.com.

ALE F O R S ” Kevlar body s e hole thable

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24 bed house, Shash Darak Ref 6046. 24 ensuite baths, 3 saloons, 3 kitchens and 3 sub basements, central heating system and car parking for up to 10 cars. $24,999 a month. Call 0798 500 500 www.pc-af.com

TO BUY: TREADMILL - Does anyone have a second hand treadmill So if you’ve got something you want to sell, be it a bicycle or body armour, furniture or a fridge, Scene Classifieds is the only place to go. 56

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Afghan Scene August 2009

to sell? The good life after 5pm in Kabul is taking its toll. Needs to be reliable and in good condition (which I’m not). Email: [email protected]

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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Election scene

Comic scene

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

The Contenders With historic national elections just weeks away Afghan Scene gives you the lowdown on the leading presidential candidates

Afghan Scene August 2009

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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Election scene

Election scene Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

RAMZAN BASHERDOST

ABDULLAH ABDULLAH The famously double named Abdullah Abdullah was born in Kabul in 1960 and has served as Afghanistan’s foreign minister under various governments. His mixed ethnicity – his father is a Pashtun, who held important government positions, and his mother a Tajik – has led many to argue that he has nationwide appeal. A doctor by trade, he graduated in ophthalmology from Kabul University in 1983, and worked as an eye specialist in Kabul until 1985, when he quit Afghanistan to work with refugees in Peshawar. He became a senior advisor to Ahmed Shah Massoud during the jihad against the Soviet occupation and

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gained an international profile as a spokesman for the Jihadi government. He served as foreign minister as the Northern Alliance led opposition government. He retained the position during the interim administration after the US-led invasion of 2001, and again at the 2002 Loya Jirga. After the 2004 presidential election Dr Abdullah was one of the few ministers to keep his position in the newly elected government of Hamid Karzai but he was eventually squeezed out of the cabinet in 2006. For years there has been confusion over his name, with some reports suggesting the second “Abdullah” emerged as a result of a misunderstanding at a news conference.

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The western-trained political scientist and member of parliament has made a reputation for himself as a populist who campaigns against government corruption. The 44 year old, who originally hails from Ghazni province, first left Afghanistan months after the 1978 coup. Following periods in Iran and Pakistan, he went to France in 1983 where he spent 20 years earning degrees in law and political science from various institutions, writing his Ph.d thesis on the UN’s role against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan in 2002 to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed as director of the European and Western Political Affairs Department. In early 2005 he briefly served as Afghanistan’s Planning Minister. He was critical of the role played by NGOs and claimed that most of them were draining aid cash from Afghanistan. And he earned public support by slamming the huge salaries of NGO workers and ministers that dwarfed the average salaries of most Afghans. In 2006 he was elected as one of the members of parliament for Kabul, winning the third highest number of votes, demonstrating a level of popular support spanning ethnic and linguistic groups. Shunning an official office, he is famous for conducting his political affairs from a small tent opposite parliament.

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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Election scene

Election scene Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

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Afghan Scene August 2009

ASHRAF GHANI

HAMID KARZAI

The sixty year-old technocrat and intellectual is waging a vigorous campaign to become the second democratically elected leader of Afghanistan. His family have long been involved in politics, with his father holding a number of senior positions under the rule of Zahir Shah. He first left Afghanistan in 1973 when he went to Lebanon to study at the American University in Beirut, where he met his future wife, Rula. He returned to Afghanistan to teach at Kabul Univerity, before heading to Columbia University in New York for further study. He remained in the US after pro-Soviet forces came to power and most of the male members of his family were imprisoned. After gaining his Ph.D he taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Following the fall of the Taliban in 2001 he worked as a special assistant to the UN SRSG, helping to prepare for the Bonn conference. He joined the transitional government as senior adviser to President Karzai and later became finance minister, where among his achievements he helped issue a new currency. He also designed the National Solidarity Programme and pushed for the transparent issuing of telcom licenses. But he did not remain in government after the 2004 presidential election, becoming chancellor of Kabul University instead. He also set up the Institute for State Effectiveness and co-authored a book on Fixing Failed States. In 2006 he was tipped to become Secretary General of the United Nations and later as a possible head of the World Bank.

The fifty one year old Afghan president is fighting to remain head of state, despite heavy criticism of his government which is seen by some as dysfunctional and even corrupt. Karzai, a member of the Popalzai tribe, grew up in a leading political family in Kandahar. His father, a hereditary tribal chief, served in the Afghan parliament under Zahir Shah. He was educated in Kandahar, Kabul and later in Simla, India where he was when Afghanistan was occupied by Soviet troops. He served as an advisor and junior diplomat in a moderate mujahideen group in Peshawar and later held the position of deputy foreign minister in the postwar government from 1992 to 1994. Although he initially backed the Taliban movement he later broke with them and became a leading light of the anti-Taliban opposition. When his father was murdered in Pakistan Karzai became head of the Popalzai and took the risk of leading mourners at his father’s funeral in Kandahar, then a Taliban stronghold. Armed with just a satellite phone and few supplies, Karzai entered Afghanistan in October 2001 to try and foment a revolt against the Taliban in Kandahar, and was wounded by a US bomb. Despite still being an obscure figure and not winning as much support as other resistance leaders, Karzai was, with heavy US backing, appointed as chairman of the interim administration. Later at the 2002 Loya Jirga he was elected as president of Afghanistan. In September 2004 he was elected president in the country’s first nationwide democratic election.

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Afghan Scene August 2009

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Farewell scene

Farewell scene Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

What were the worst of times?

Scene it like it is

After six years in Kabul former Canadian ambo and UNAMA deputy head, CHRIS ALEXANDER, has left Afghanistan with fond memories and hopes for the country’s future

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Among too many tragedies, three moments stand out. The first was learning on January 15 2006 that Glyn Berry, a friend and the civilian head of Canada’s new PRT, had been killed in Kandahar. Glyn was a star and an example; his death, together with two civilian bystanders, a harbinger of the insurgency to come. The second was learning on Boxing Day 2007 that Mervyn Patterson had been expelled – a needless misstep by the Afghan government, which hurt them more than they know. The third was to be on hand when the same government came under attack at the parade on Mujahidin Day last year. The Taliban agenda is clear – to wreck the state-building process. Beyond those sad occasions, it is devastating to learn of civilian deaths, mostly at the hands of insurgents, at times because of us – in Ghanikhel, Shindand, Manogai, Bala Baluk. What were the best times? The early euphoria culminated in the Constitutional Loya Jirga on 4 January 2004 – a sea of turbans; some tough horse-trading; in the end, a hard-won consensus on a truly national project. Over my six years every day brought small triumphs – new reforms and support; the slow but inexorable progress of institutions; glimpses of village life, buoyed by new opportunities. The elections of 2004 and 2005 were a great success. It was uplifting to see the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) presented at the Paris conference in June last year. It has been an unsung miracle that DDR, heavy weapons cantonment, ammunition consolidation and destruction,

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mine action and DIAG have progressed so far. At the launch of DDR in Kunduz in October 2003, of DIAG in Kapisa in mid-2006, almost no one thought them possible. The same goes for the insurgency in its cross-border dimension, which was still being denied as late as 2007. Now DDR has been completed; heavy weapons are all in government hands; DIAG has come to one quarter of Afghanistan. Taliban sanctuaries are more and more under pressure. This is the true picture of where this country is headed. What will you not miss? Cold showers, no power, garbage in the streets. The cynical arrogance of too many internationals who arrive with the wrong pre-conceived notions. The venality and selfsatisfaction of too many Afghans – inside the government and out. What will you miss? Colleagues in the government – from ministers on down – many of whom are impressive leaders, achieving remarkable, even heroic, things. The privilege to be part of a nationbuilding process in its formative stage. Afghan pomegranate juice – the most lifeenhancing drink in the world. The men and women of UNAMA, the Canadian Embassy and the Canadian Forces – whose dedication has marked me for life. The “light garden” of Kabul. The Shah Jehani mosque in Babur’s garden. Arsheqan wa Arefan. Ahmad Shah Baba’s shrine in Kandahar. Nijrab. Garda serai in Paktia. Ishkashem in Badakhshan. Gazargah in Herat. The villages of Afghanistan, where the

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Farewell scene

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

The Afghan Scene

Afghan Scene is proud to showcase the very best images of Afghanistan and to celebrate we are inviting you to enter your pictures into our 2009 photography competition.

CLIMBING MOUNT IMPROBABLE: Chris and friends on a New Year’s day stroll

welcome mat is always out. The over-arching sense of teamwork we have – unique in the world today. Favourite place? Am I allowed only one? Apart from our old place in Guest House 26, that would be the UNAMA office in Nili, Daikundi. What is next for Afghanistan? If the current strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan is properly supported, if the ANDS continues to be translated into highquality national programmes, Afghanistan will see peace and development before long. But we cannot under-estimate the complexity of this task: institution-building takes time,and both Afghans and foreigners have often been cavalier

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09

Anyone can enter as long as the photographs were taken inside Afghanistan, no earlier than January 1, 2009. Please limit entries to three pictures per person.

about this challenge in Afghanistan. The commander culture is weaker, but by no means gone, as we see in the now mighty drug cartels of Helmand and Farah, many of which have almost nothing to do with Taliban ideology. Regional economic cooperation has huge potential – but many potential spoilers, who either need to be persuaded, or marginalized: this will take years. Finally, the history and culture of Afghanistan deserve reviving and recognition: this is an extraordinary place.

All entries to [email protected]

What is next for you? Hedvig and I welcomed Selma Zolaykha Alexander to this world on April 16, 2009: we are now on our way home, to Canada, where we will be supporting the effort to rebuild Afghanistan from new vantage points. �

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Terms and Conditions: Only enter photographs you took yourself. Afghan Scene reserves the right to publish any photographs entered into the competition. The winners will be announced in the December edition All entries must be received no later than October 31st, 2009.

Afghan Scene August 2009

Essential scene

Feature scene

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Essentials Where to stay, where to eat, where to Shop. And how to pay for it. Afghan Scene Making Life Easier

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Hotels and Guesthouses

Restaurants

Kabul Serena Hotel Froshgah Street www.serenahotels.com Tel: 0799 654 000

Delivery Easyfood Delivers from any restaurant to your home www.easyfood.af Tel: 0796 555 000, 0796 555 001

Safi Landmark Hotel & Suites Charahi Ansari www.safilandmarkhotelsuites.com Tel: 0202 203 131 The Inter Continental Hotel Baghe Bala Road www.intercontinentalkabul.com Tel: 0202 201 321 Gandamack Lodge Sherpur Square www.gandamacklodge.co.uk Tel: 0700 276 937 Mustafa Hotel Charahi Sadarat www.mustafahotel.com Tel: 070 276 021 Heetal Plaza Hotel Street 14, Wazir Akbar Khan www.heetal.com Tel: 0799 167 824, 0799 159 697 UNICA Guest House Kolola Pushta, opposite Royal Mattress Tel: 0797 676 357 The International Club Haji Yaqoob Square, Street 3, Shar-e Naw. Tel: 0774 763 858 Golden Star Hotel Charrhay Haji Yaqoob, Shar-e Naw. www.kabulgoldenstarhotel.com Tel: 0799 333 088, 0799 557 281 Roshan Hotel Charaye Turabaz Khan, Shar-e Naw. Tel: 0799 335 424

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Afghan Rumi Qala-e Fatullah Main Rd, between Streets 5 & 6 Tel: 0799 557 021 Sufi Muslim Street, Shar-e Naw www.sufi.com.af Tel: 0774 212 256, 0700 210 651 Herat Restaurant Shar-e Naw, main road, Diagonally opposite Cinema Park Khosha Restaurant Above the Golden Star Hotel. Tel: 0799 888 999 Mixed/Western The Lounge Lane 2, left, off Street 15, Wazir Akbar Khan. Tel: 0796 174 718, 0700 037 634 Fat Man/What-a-Burger Cafe Wazir Akbar Khan, main road, On the bend near Masoud Circle Tel: 0700 298 301, 0777 151 510 L’Atmosphere Street 4, Taimani Tel: 0798 224 982, 0798 413 872 Flower Street Café Street 2, Qala-e Fatullah. Tel: 0700 293 124, 0799 356 319

Supermarkets, Grocers & Butchers

Le Bistro One street up from Chicken Street, Behind the MOI, Shar-e Naw Tel: 0799-598852

Italian/Pizza Everest Pizza Street 10, Wazir Akbar Khan www.everestpizza.com Tel: 0700 263 636, 0779 317 979 Boccaccio Street 10, Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799 200 600

Red Hot Sizzlin’ Steakhouse District 16, Macroyan 1, Nader Hill Area Tel: 0799 733 468

Bella Italia Street 14, Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799 600 666

Spinneys Wazir Akbar Khan, opposite British Embassy

Le Pelican Cafe du Kabul Darulaman Road, almost opposite the Russian Embassy. Bright orange guard box.

Springfield Restaurant Lane 3, Street 15,Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799 001 520

Finest Wazir Akbar Khan Roundabout

Cabul Coffeehouse & Café Street 6, on the left, Qale-e Fatullah Tel: 0752 005 275

Tex Mex La Cantina Third left off Butcher St, Shar-e Naw Tel: 0798 271 915 Lebanese Taverne du Liban Street 15, Lane 3, Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799 828 376 The Grill Street 15, Wazir Akbar Khan. Tel: 0799 818 283, 0799 792 879 Cedar House Behind Kabul City Centre, Shar-e Naw Tel: 0799-121412 Turkish Istanbul Main road, on the left, between Massoud Circle Jalalabad Road Roundabout. Tel: 0799-407818 Iranian Shandiz Pakistan Embassy Street, off Street 14 Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799-342928

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Indian Namaste Street 15, Wazir Akbar Khan, Between lanes 2 and 3 on the right. Tel: 0772 011 120

A-One Bottom of Shar-e Naw Park Chelsea Shar-e Naw main road, opposite Kabul Bank

Fat Man Forest Wazir Akbar Khan, main road. Enyat Modern Butcher Qala-e Fatullah main road, Near street four

Delhi Darbar Shar-e Naw, close to UK Sports Tel: 0799 324 899

ATMs

Anar Restaurant Lane 3, Street 14, Wazir Akbar Khan Tel: 0799 567 291

AIB Main Office, Opposite Camp Eggers (AIB)

Chinese Golden Key Seafood Restaurant Lane 4, Street 13, Wazir Akbar Khan. Tel: 0799 002 800, 0799 343 319

Kabul City Centre, Shar-e Naw (AIB

AIB Shar-e Naw Branch, next to Chelsea Supermarket (AIB) HQ ISAF, Outside Cianos Pizzeria, US Embassy Street (AIB) KAIA Military Airbase, Outside Cianos Pizzeria, Airport (AIB)

Thai Mai Thai House 38, Lane 2, Street 15, Wazir Akbar Khan Tel:0796 423 040

Finest Supermarket, Wazir Akbar Khan (AIB)

Korean New World Between Charayi Haji Yacub and Charayi Ansari, on the right. Shar-e Naw. Tel: 0799 199 509

Standard Chartered Branch, Street 10, Wazir Akbar Khan (Standard Chartered)

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World Bank Guard Hut, Street 15 Wazir Akbar Khan (Standard Chartered)

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Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

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Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

Afghan Scene August 2009

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