Focus on Afghan musicians in Peshawar

The rout of the hardline Islamic Taliban, who had banned music, claiming it was un-Islamic, has rekindled a glimmer of hope for exiled Afghan musicians. They want to go home, provided stability is restored there, to resume performing music for a nation which had been denied this basic form of entertainment. "If the ministry of culture is revived and we find jobs, then we will happily go back," Qasim Bakhsh, an Afghan singer, told IRIN in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, home to about 500 Afghan musicians and singers, their numbers perhaps exceeding those of their counterparts still remaining in Afghanistan itself. Bakhsh appealed to the Afghan leaders to help them resettle. "We want happiness for all," he said. "Our message is unity, peace and harmony. Our basic demand is the freedom of expression and tolerance for musicians in the Afghan society," he declared, adding that music should not be banned again. Analysing the situation of Afghan musicians in Peshawar, Dr Fazle Rahim Marwat, an expert on Afghanistan at Peshawar University, told IRIN that some Afghan musicians, especially those singing Pashto songs, had prospered in Pakistan. "Contrary to what most people believe, Afghan music and literature have prospered over the past two decades," he said. "Afghans had tremendous exposure to the outside world. This has boosted some Afghan artists and has further enriched their music." He added, however, that living conditions for most Afghan musicians had not improved. "Musicians were threatened, some were even prosecuted, and most fled Afghanistan," he said. "Worst of all, they were increasingly isolated from the rest of society and faced draconian bans." Marwat asserted that the complete ban on music strictly enforced by the Taliban was imposed for political rather than religious reasons. "Music played a very important role in Afghan life," he said, adding that apart from being "food for the soul", music was a necessary component of communal life. "Drums were beaten to collect the people for warfare, harvesting or other collective actions," he said. "Storytellers would use a rabab and sarangi [Afghan musical instruments similar to the violin and guitar] to add life to their narration," he said. "Afghanistan was home to many Sufi [Islamic mystic] orders, and these have contributed to the development of the classical musical tradition." Bakhsh, 45, a disciple of the famous Afghan singer Ustad [Maestro] Rahim Bakhsh arrived in Peshawar 10 years ago. He owns a music shop, selling and renting out video and audio cassettes, as well as CDs. "Life was simple but beautiful in Afghanistan," he said. He complained that the Afghan singers singing in the native Afghan language of Dari had found it comparatively difficult to survive in Peshawar. "The Afghan singers singing in Pashto find more prospects in Pakistan, because they have a much bigger audience and more chances for the radio and television broadcasts," he said. Besides his small shop, Bakhsh earns his living by singing at wedding parties and other festive occasions. "I can never predict my income, but usually I am left with very little after paying the rent and clearing my bills," he said. He earns US $70 after releasing an audio cassette. The rates vary for wedding parties, depending on the generosity of the audience. A visibly nostalgic Bakhsh said: "Afghan music is tailored to the Afghan soul. We had great singers, such as Ustad Sarahang, Ustad Nabi Gul, Ustad Rahim Bakhsh, Nashinas and Ustad Mehwash in Kabul at one time. Now some of them have died and others are scattered around the world." The 500 or so Afghan musicians in Peshawar comprise singers, musicians and composers, most of them frequenting the small shops located along University Road. Some reside in the upper stories of old buildings in the Dabgari Garden area, at the centre of the old city.

Muhammad Esar, playing Rabab in his shop.

Given their prolonged stay, some Afghan musicians are quite settled in Pakistan. Muhammad Esar, a 36 year-old, father of six, living in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp on the outskirts of Peshawar, told IRIN: "I don't have a home in Kabul where I can take my children in this harsh winter." Like many of his musical colleagues, Esar earns his living by playing the rabab. "I earn enough to feed and clothe my family, " he said, sitting in a shop on University Road. This is his studio and office, where he teaches pupils to play the rabab and waits for customers. "I was an employee of the Afghan Ministry of Culture and Information a decade ago when war pushed us to take refuge in Pakistan," he said, adding that now he felt at home in Peshawar. However, most Afghan musicians in Peshawar face uncertain economic prospects. "We have a peak earning seasons in autumn and again in the spring when most of weddings take place. During Ramadan [the Muslim holy month], we don't have much work," Esar said. Esar complained that he had not received any aid during his years in Peshawar. He earns US $12 for playing the rabab at a wedding party, and $15 for accompanying a singer when recording cassettes. Asked whether he would go back to his country now that the Taliban era was over, he said: "I would only go back to Kabul when I have a house and a monthly salary." Freemuse, an international group advocating freedom for musicians released a report in 2001 entitled "Can you stop the birds singing?: The censorship of music in Afghanistan". Analysing the ban on music enforced by the Taliban, the report traces the roots of censorship on music back to the communist coup in 1978. Later on, in the Afghan refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan, a strict ban on music was enforced, and this led to the Taliban's total ban on all forms of music. John Baily, author of the report and ethnomusicology expert at Goldsmiths College at the University of London, told IRIN that the music culture in Afghanistan was in a precarious state. "In Pakistan and Iran, we have very large populations of Afghans that suffer not just from hunger, but depression and stress-related illnesses," Baily said. "Music is simply not being recognised for the immense therapeutic role it could play." Calling for greater involvement on the part of the UN and non-governmental organisations, Baily said: "We are faced with a cultural loss unless certain measures can be taken, particularly in the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Iran, where large parts of the Afghan refugee population live." He added that the musical traditions of Afghanistan were constantly changing, and there was a far greater issue at stake in terms of music's overall importance. Sharing Baily's views, Marwat stressed that music was essential to the reconstruction of Afghan society. "Musicians are central to social reconstruction," he said. "Increased access to electronic media and state patronage are vital to help musicians play a meaningful role."