Twelve days in Afghanistan (2022)

Through a nation’s pain and disbelief, the mountains glow.

November, 2022

Driving outside Herat city, past Taliban checkpoints. The perfectly asphalted roads lead to neighbouring countries, winding through mountain passes.

Villages sitting in valleys, shadows in hues of purple. Areas that have long been under Taliban control.

Women and girls cover themselves here, and shy away from the camera. But they are eager to speak. Without electricity or running water, they say, the winters are deadly.

Herat city from the citadel.

Tree-lined streets. Falling leaves. A hazy autumn light. Bustling avenues. Fruit vendors, bakers, taxi drivers, lawyers, primary school students, getting on with life, while young women wait inside, hungry for change.

Kabul from behind a dirty window. The streets are quiet, but there are Taliban on every corner. Once fighters, now traffic controllers. With guns.

“No one is here, just the Taliban.”

Afghan women, long focus of the west, have their own ways of standing their ground.

“Before the Taliban I used to wear a burqa because of my religious beliefs. I took it off when they arrived. And when they stare at me at checkpoints, I look them straight in the eye. I want them to know I’m not afraid of them.” (28-year-old woman)

About this journal: I spent twelve days on the road with an NGO photographer with a former employer in Afghanistan in 2022, my own photos were few and far between, instead I have journal snippets, way I know best ✏️