Afghanistan: Musician weeps as Taliban burns his musical devices in entrance of him

18 January 2022, 15:33 | Up-to-date: 18 January 2022, 15:41

Footage reveals an Afghan musician made to check out as his musical devices are established on fireplace, as the Taliban wage lengthy-time period war against tunes.

An undated video has gone viral on Twitter displaying Taliban fighters burning the drums and harmonium of a community musician in the Paktia province of Afghanistan.

In the recording, posted by journalist Abdulhaq Omeri, the musician is in tears as he is compelled to check out his devices in flames.

Other Afghanistan journalists have manufactured observations from the footage. The musician’s clothing are torn, suggesting that he has been overwhelmed, and his hair has been slash, a popular general public punishment by the Taliban as a warning ‘for a 1st-time or relatively minor offence’.

The community musician is also built to say, “I am scum”, in advance of the crowd of individuals who are collected about the burning devices. Laughter can be heard from the Taliban troopers.

This is the newest online video to emerge demonstrating the Taliban’s marketing campaign towards Afghanistan’s musical and artistic community. 20 several years back, when they were being final in electric power in Afghanistan, the Taliban banned all types of music-building other than religious singing.

Considering the fact that the Taliban reassumed handle just over 5 months back in August 2021, they have reintroduced a ban on new music in community places. Scholars feel this to be a gradual introduction to absolutely banning audio, which has led to musicians fleeing the region for their protection.

Read through more: As musicians flee, Afghanistan’s music scene tilters on the edge of silence

This is not the to start with instance of footage displaying musical destruction to emerge in modern moments.

In late December, an additional clip went viral on social media, showing some of Afghanistan’s most renowned devices, a rubâb, a tabla, and a harmonium, remaining smashed with stones by soldiers.

The area musicians, who owned the classic instruments, were then created to promise that they would never ever sing or engage in songs once again.

There has been a person recognized loss of life of a musician given that the Taliban takeover very last calendar year. The very well-recognized folk singer, Fawad Andarabi, was dragged from his village residence before remaining shot dead by the Taliban in August 2021.

In response to the capturing, the United Nations Unique Rapporteur in the area of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, condemned the Taliban’s steps indicating: “We contact on governments to desire the Taliban regard the human legal rights of artists.

“We reiterate our plea for governments to obtain safe, efficient techniques for artists & cultural employees who have to have to do so to get out of Afghanistan.”

Some musicians have been able to escape to neighbouring international locations and over and above, these as pupils from Afghanistan’s only songs university, the Afghanistan National Institute of Songs, who are commencing to rebuild their house in Lisbon, Portugal.

The worldwide tunes neighborhood have arrive out in guidance of all people who are displaced or caught in the violence. A single case in point of fundraising for all those impacted comes this Saturday, 22nd January at the Barbican in London, where by Tracks of Hope: A Reward Live performance for Afghanistan aims to increase revenue for selected charities working with folks impacted by the conflict.