Window For Dialogue.
Kabul.
The Mullah is calling the afternoon prayers from a minaret not far from the art center which is my contact here in Afghanistan. The center (Center for Contemporary Art Afghanistan, CCAA for short) is led by Rahraw Omarzad who is a prolific figure in the Afghan art scene. He is the founder of the CCAA it’s director and daily manager. There are about 9 permeant staff and 4 teachers of art. The organization was conceived as a woman’s art center and is still run by women for women, although there are now classes for children for a short period. There is a great energy in the center, in many ways it represents an oasis in Kabul. A place where women not only enjoy a sense of sisterhood but also are encouraged to express themselves freely. Rahraw, which is a name he took on during the Taleban years and which he explained to me means “One who seeks the truth” in persian, is a man with a mission. He sees the art scene as being outdated and based on a system of reproduction which has survived through out the entire Afghan history of art. He speaks of 3 periods of visual art in Afghanistan. 16th century miniature paining with an emphasis on lines and stylistic repertoire. By 1919 the first art school was established, the artists were inspired by western painting and pated in the styles of realism and through Afghan painters who had traveled to Germany, expressionism. These artists were very influential they encouraged the other artists to paint from life what you see and to bring the easels out side to the street. However soon the new movement tok another direction when the artists started to paint from photographs and books again essentially returning to the style of copying. During this period up through the Soviet style academic raining and the strict adherence to social realism up to today, painting was divorced from any form of political agenda. Only in the third period can the artists start to criticize their rulers. The third period is very recent development and Rahraw confines it to 2004 when they held the first women’s exhibition who included works that emphasized freedom of expression.
In Copenhagen I have put up a rear projection screen at the Central Library behind a window facing the street. The screen has been placed in a vertical position between two pillars which work as a frame around the screen and add depth to the image. What I am trying to create is an illusion of space. Bringing a room in Kabul into the city of Copenhagen and vise versa. Our national public spheres have become increasingly close rendering the wall between our cultures paper thin. However the voice of the mainstream media is screaming back at us defining the soft speech of the everyday. What I am showing on the screens is not spectacular it may be unusual like the women’s art center but it also represents the underrepresented positive news. In Kabul I will just be showing video from the Central Library in Copenhagen. It is ordinary images which represent no threat to the Afghan cultural view. However it has become extremely difficult to find a space to install the screen. There is an ingrown mistrust of foreigners here especially Danes who still are remembered for the cartoon scandal.
Here is a video from CCAA where the boys who participate tin the project Small is Big for UNICEF are testing me and trying to convert me to Islam.
I have to leave my guesthouse tomorrow because they are closing operations and the security company which ran it is moving to another site. I have to find a reliable internet connection preferably in the site where I will install the screen. Internet connections are very expensive in Kabul, you can expect to pay 2000USD per month for a 1Mbps connection with a minimum 3 months subscription.
The cost of living has sky rocketed in Kabul due to the overwhelming amount of money entering the city through the war economy. The majority of wealth seems to stay in the few hands of those who are able to get government contracts. Smaller amounts do pass through the system of NGO’s though and many benefit from the foreign aid. The economic system is is dire need of reform. During the tumultuous past 30 years, control of the economy remained in the hands of whoever temporarily claimed power who would print their own money as they saw fit.
You can read more about the Afghan money here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_afghani
Today USD and Afghanis (Afghan money) are recognized and used in Kabul. There is a limited number of ATM machines that only accept Master card. You can exchange Arab Dinars and British Pounds, some places will accept Euros but if you have any other currency you have to go to the currency exchange in Saray Shahzada market where you might be able to find someone willing to exchange your money although you will be given a very bad rate. Other currencies can simply not be exchanged in Afghanistan and the money traders need to fly to Dubai with other currencies than USD to exchange it there. The Saray Shahzada market is a meeting place for traders from the other provinces and regions although I expect that few are willing to make the dangerous trip to Kabul these days as the security situation is getting worse on the roads.
The currency market is composed of a maze of small stairways and bridges surrounding a central courtyard which seems to function much like a trading floor at a stock exchange. The place has the lively atmosphere associated with quick business and the traders casually carry off hordes of cash in large stacks. There are not many security measures in place to protect the currency traders but they seem to be able to go about their business without becoming victims of theft.
You are constantly reminded about the security situation in Afghanistan. when I leave my guesthouse I pass the 4 guards armed with machine-guns say salam malikum as a greeting and is let out into the street, usually after a guard has checked that there is no armed SUV with fanatical Taleban fighters waiting or me outside. It is a strange paradox because on the surface most places seem safe there are many security check points and armed forces throughout the city. Yet things do happen even in Kabul so you have to stay alert and recognize the signals when something bad is about to go down. I think we all know how to judge a persons character but we may not recognize the signals our own feelings are sending us. This is very important when staying in a country like Afghanistan where a misjudgment can have dire consequences. On the other hand it may seem over the top and counter productive to shield off yourself from the population behind heavy ion gates and armed escorde as most UN and embassy workers have to. It must be difficult to get a real idea about what is going on if you live in a parallel universe.
How dangerous is Kabul really? http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/incidents.html#docs2
There were 24 security incidents from January 2010 to June.
Posted on September 30, 2010
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