Kandahar
Saturday, March 3, 2007 by Eva.Usermaatre
Hidden behind a burka, Nafas, the sister from Canada, makes her way across the border with a family of refugees. When they are robbed by brigands and the family turns back, she decides to continue on her way, accompanied first by a young boy who was just expelled from a Qur'anic school, and then by an African American convert to Islam, who has become disillusioned with the turn the country has taken under the Taliban.
As the film proceeds, Nafas learns more and more about the hardships women face under the Taliban, and even more so, how years of war have destroyed Afghan society. Her African American guide, hidden behind a false beard, points out to her that the only technological progress allowed in the country is weaponry. As they wander the countryside, Nafas records her impressions into a portable tape recorder hidden beneath her veils. She sees children robbing corpses to survive, people fighting over artificial limbs that they might need in case they walk through a minefield, and doctors who examine female patients from behind a curtain with a hole in it.
Nafas never reaches her sister. When her African American guide turns back, because he is afraid to enter the city of Kandahar, she follows a guide who had just scammed a pair of artificial legs out of the Red Cross. Dressed in burkas, the pair join a wedding party which is stopped by the Taliban because they are playing musical instruments and singing--forbidden by Afghan law. Her guide is taken away and she is unveiled. Captured, she seems destined to fall into the same kind of life that she hoped to help her sister escape.
As the film proceeds, Nafas learns more and more about the hardships women face under the Taliban, and even more so, how years of war have destroyed Afghan society. Her African American guide, hidden behind a false beard, points out to her that the only technological progress allowed in the country is weaponry. As they wander the countryside, Nafas records her impressions into a portable tape recorder hidden beneath her veils. She sees children robbing corpses to survive, people fighting over artificial limbs that they might need in case they walk through a minefield, and doctors who examine female patients from behind a curtain with a hole in it.
Nafas never reaches her sister. When her African American guide turns back, because he is afraid to enter the city of Kandahar, she follows a guide who had just scammed a pair of artificial legs out of the Red Cross. Dressed in burkas, the pair join a wedding party which is stopped by the Taliban because they are playing musical instruments and singing--forbidden by Afghan law. Her guide is taken away and she is unveiled. Captured, she seems destined to fall into the same kind of life that she hoped to help her sister escape.
I am always attracted by Arabian world, its exotic feeling and incompatible social features are more charming than the European world. To be honest if my Uni has a major of Arabian Study, I will change my major without any hesitation. I think I will have more motive to learn the Arabian world than Europe. This film well defined the world now in a conflictive situation. People are hungry, thirsty and hopeless, especially women. They are forced to cover themselves under the Burka. All people can see is the colour of this Burka, walking and talking. People pay no attention to the face under this Burka, no attention to the feelings and desires of these women. People seem quite comfortable under the One God, everything is asked by God, God tells them to cover, this is the perfect reason, and people are used to it.
Life needs a reason, said by that black American. Yes, I think the reason why the Arabian women live is beacuse they still have the thirst of seeing the world without that Nurka and being treated as a single being.
Not only the women in that world need the hope, but the emtire country needs. The society is almost destroyed by the war and the terrorists, people are homeless, robbing the dead, bearing hunger. To me, it is quite sad to see a world like this, meanwhile, the desire to go there is increased.
Maybe the this world will get better in the future, but who knows?
