Men could be punished for shaving, and women had to abide by draconian laws directed specifically at them.
In addition to kite-flying, dancing and singing were banned, along with weather forecasting, bird-keeping and playing many sports. Under Taliban rule, women suffered most, but everyone had to surrender freedoms they'd taken for granted. The Taliban imposed the most strict form of Sharia the world had seen after helping to force a Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and single-handedly driving out Ahmad Shah Massoud's army from Kabul in September 1996. For a country that has endured centuries of fighting, it is no surprise that even play is a form of combat. Kite fighting is the popular sport of cutting your opponent's line with yours - each coated in finely ground glass and adhesive - while the kites fly in fierce battles. But more than that, even the method of kite-flying, or gudiparan bazi, seems to embody Afghan history. When the Taliban restricted freedoms and certain rights, the kites lay dormant. In recent times at least, when things were good, the kites would soar. Yet in 1996 when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, kite-flying was outlawed after they deemed it "un-Islamic".įlying kites is a national pastime in Afghanistan and one that in many ways mirrors the country's politics. It invokes visions of children running across fields, squealing in delight. It suggests joy, a carefree spirit and the innocence of youth. Kite-flying draws images in our minds of blue skies and sunshine.
Clint McLean looks back at photographs shot by James Reeve three years after the regime's fall, images that capture a premature optimism for a country that remains mired in turmoil. While the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they outlawed many of life's simplest pleasures.
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