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ZALMAI AHAD : AFGHANISTAN DETAILS: Zalmai Ahad DESCRIPTION: Anyone who has listened to the news in the past five years knows of the conflict in Afghanistan ñ blurry news footage of deserted streets, rolling American tanks kicking up dust, gun-toting ìinsurgents,î or the occasional human interest stories showing us doe-eyed children or burkha-clad women covered head to toe. But ZalmaÔ Ahadís photographs give us a more complete view of the Afghanistan that remains after the conflict: the devastated landscape, the struggling families, the people filled with sadness and hope as they return and try to rebuild their country. Born in Afghanistan, Ahad was exiled while still a teenager during the Soviet invasion of 1980. Now a Swiss citizen, he has frequently returned to his country of origin to document the troubles of the Afghan people during the violent regime changes that have tormented the country. In 2002, he returned to document a different kind of battle: the re-education of the Afghan people and their struggle to rebuild Afghanistan. Many of the images available here have been on a special world tour. Starting in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2004 with the support of various international organizations, the work has also been shown in Washington, DC ñ at the National Geographic Museum and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ñ and Amani High School in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is currently on display in Toronto and is also scheduled to appear in Berlin, Boston, Brussels, London, Milan, New York, Ottawa, Paris, San Diego, Stockholm, Sydney, and Tokyo. |
