by Dr John Baily
Freemuse (Freedom of musical expression), London, April 24, 2001
The people of Afghanistan under Taliban rule are subjected to an
extreme form of music censorship. The only musical activity
permitted is the singing of certain types of religious song and
Taliban "chants".
The report traces the gradual imposition of music censorship
since 1978, when the communist government of Nur Ahmad
Taraki (the correct name is Noor Mohammad Taraki -RAWA) came to power in a violent coup d'etat. During 14 years
of communist rule, music in Afghanistan was heavily controlled
by the Ministry for Information and Culture, while in the refugee
camps in Pakistan and Iran all music was prohibited in order to
maintain a continual state of mourning. The roots of the Taliban
ban on music lie in the way these camps were run.
In the Rabbani period (1992-1996) music was again heavily
censored. In the provincial city of Herat, which the author visited
for 7 weeks in 1994, professional musicians had to apply for a
licence, which specified the kinds of material they could perform,
songs in praise of the Mujahideen and songs with texts drawn
from the mystical Sufi poetry of the region. This cut out a large
amount of other music, such as love songs and music for
dancing. The licences also stipulated that musicians must play
without amplification. Music could be performed by male
musicians at private parties indoors, but Herat's women
professional musicians were forbidden to perform. While in
theory male musicians could perform at wedding parties or
Spring country fairs, experience had shown that often in such
cases the agents of the Office for the Propagation of Virtue and
the Prevention of Vice, religious police, had arrived to break up
the party and confiscate the instruments, which were usually
returned to the musicians some days later when a fine or bribe
had been paid.
There was very little music on local radio or television in Herat.
Broadcasting time was anyway severely curtailed, to about two
hours per day. If a song was broadcast on television one did not
see the performers on screen but a vase of flowers. Names of
performers were not announced on radio or television.
Instrument maker had re-opened their businesses, and the audio
cassette business continued, with a number of shops in the
bazaars of Herat selling music cassettes, some of locally
recorded Herat musicians.
"To prevent music... In shops, hotels, vehicles and
rickshaws cassettes and music are prohibited... If
any music cassette found in a shop, the shopkeeper
should be imprisoned and the shop locked. If five
people guarantee, the shop should be opened, the
criminal released later. If cassette found in the
vehicle, the vehicle and the driver will be
imprisoned. If five people guarantee, the vehicle will
be released and the criminal released later.
To prevent music and dances in wedding parties. In
the case of violation the head of the family will be
arrested and punished.
To prevent the playing of music drum. The
prohibition of this should be announced. If anybody
does this then the religious elders can decide about
it."
All musical instruments are banned, and when discovered by
agents of the Office for the Propagation of Virtue and the
Prevention of Vice are destroyed, sometimes being burnt in
public along with confiscated audio and video cassettes, TV sets
and VCRs (all visual representation of animate being is also
prohibited).
The only forms of musical expression permitted today are the
singing of certain kinds of religious poetry, and so-called Taliban
"chants", which are panegyrics to Taliban principles and
commemorations of those who have died of the field of battle.
These chants are themselves highly musical: the singing uses the
melodic modes of Pashtun regional music, is nicely in tune,
strongly rhythmic, and many items have the two-part song
structure that is typical of the region. There is also heavy use of
reverberation. But without musical instruments this is not "music".
The effects of censorship of music in Afghanistan are deep and
wide ranging for the Afghans, both inside and outside the
country. In the past, the people of Afghanistan were great music
lovers and enjoyed a rich musical life. Music was an integral part
of many rites of passage, such as celebrations of birth,
circumcision (male only), and most important of all, marriage.
Only death was a rite of passage lacking in musical expression.
The lives of professional musicians have been completely
disrupted, and most have had to go into exile for their economic
survival. The continuation of these rich musical traditions is also
under treat.
The report makes the following recommendations.
(1) To highlight the critical situation as it exists today.
(2) To try to give musicians both inside and outside
the country economic support, and in the
transnational communities, to persuade aid agencies
of the importance of music in the lives of refugees.
(3) To make sure that what is left from the past is
adequately documented, so that something is left
for the future.
(4) To support the craftsmen who make traditional
Afghan musical instruments, for traditional music
cannot be played without the appropriate
instruments.
(5) To support practical musical education
programmes in the transnational community and to
persuade the relevant agencies of the importance of
music coping with the traumas of refugee life.
When the Taliban took control of Kabul in 1996 a number of
edicts were published against music. For example: