Tag Archives: Afghanistan

How the collection of the National Museum of Afghanistan survived the civil war and the looting, 1992-2001

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Participants of the Roundtable in the Japanese Room of the Peace Palace

Participants of the Roundtable in the Japanese Room of the Peace Palace

My contribution to the “Art Trafficking and Restitution” roundtable

organized by Walk of Truth at the Peace Palace in The Hague

16 September 2013

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the late 1970s, when Kabul was still known as a stop on the hippy trail, the city’s museum boasted one of the richest collections of Asia. It spanned from the early Indus valley civilizations to the highlights of Islamic civilization, from Roman glass to Indian ivories; indeed Afghanistan had been the cradle of Zoroastrianism and highly syncretic cultures such as Hellenic Buddhism, producing highly developed art forms unique to this area.

I will describe the actions a few individuals undertook to preserve the most valuable parts of the collection of the National Museum of Afghanistan for posterity. This allowed us all to see the magnificent exhibition of the National Treasures of Afghanistan, in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam or elsewhere in the world. I have a few books here for those interested

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The Taliban and The City

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In a recent article, Antonio Giustozzi explains how the Taliban have improved their command & control structure. He describes how, under the military pressure of the US and NATO, and with the support of Pakistan’s ISI, the Taliban leadership has become more in control of the movement; and how this centralization alienates some local Taliban commanders and increasingly the population, who now have to deal with rotating commanders instead of well-known local strongmen (‘the devil you know’). Pakistani influence over the Taliban has always been terrible for the movement’s legitimacy among Afghans. On the other hand this centralization has allowed the Taliban to improve their governance and also their public image, as less brutalities are committed in the name of the movement.

Trevor Paglen: The Fence (Lake Kickapoo, Texas). C-print, 2010. Image of the electronic radar 'fence' around the USA to track traffic through space above the USA.

Trevor Paglen: The Fence (Lake Kickapoo, Texas). C-print, 2010. Image of the electronic radar ‘fence’ around the USA to track traffic through space above the USA.

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Afghanistan in Documenta 13

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Note: a very different, one-page graphic version of this article was published in the Belgian art magazine A Prior #23; see the article here. I published another article about this subject in the Indian art magazine Take On Art.

Alighiero Boetti: World Map (1971)

With fourteen Afghan artists and at least ten artists whose work reflects on this country, Documenta 13 is strongly flavored by Afghanistan. After Kassel, Kabul is the main location of Documenta (the others being Alexandria & Cairo, and Banff in Canada): 27 Documenta artists will show their work in the Queen’s Palace in Kabul’s Babur Gardens in an exhibition that opens on June 20. Continue reading →

Attack on the Green Zone in Kabul

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This unfinished building overlooking the US Embassy compound was probably used by the Taliban in the current attack.

In 2009, while visiting Kabul, I was astonished by the fortifications that had arisen around a large swathe of land comprising the US Embassy, NATO headquarters, the Presidential Palace, key ministries and other embassies. Given the hilly topography and urban layout of Kabul, this cordoning off of a large chunk of the centre caused considerable traffic and access problems for ordinary Kabulis. Continue reading →