Afghan Artists Destroy Their Works. Are Fears of Taliban in 2021 Justified?

Taliban pose threat to Afghan cultural heritage as they sweep back into power.

In the past, the Taliban forbid many pleasures in Afghanistan, including music, dancing at weddings, and paintings depicting living things. 

Today for many artists living through the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the future is uncertain.

Afghanistan is uniquely situated as a throughway of cultures throughout its history due to its geographic placement in South Asia. 

Upon the resurgence of Taliban rule from 1996-2001, the ban on most forms of art and cultural expression was immediately implemented. The Taliban’s war on art was inspired by the Koran. The Koran forbids the portrayal of living things, whereby drawing or sculpting living things is recognized as a direct affront to the Almighty. 

Among the initial acts of removal were dragging paintings out of homes, book burnings containing artwork, public execution to TV sets, and the discontinuation of music.

After the Taliban took control over Afghanistan once again, fear has been looming large across the country. While the most affected are the women and children of the country, people from the creative industries have also been under a lot of pressure. 

The repression has already begun. Educational institutions have been closed, and women and girls are staying indoors. Everybody is afraid.

Particularly threatened by the Taliban, some artists are trying to destroy all proof of their work. Others are creating last pieces as a form of resistance. 

"It feels that — I'm not sure I may be able to paint again or not. I'm not sure my organization will be there. I'm not sure if my paintings will be there tomorrow ... But still, on this day, a couple of hours ago, I was painting in a street in Kabul. And I hope I will be able to do it again."
Afghan artist Omaid Sharifi

Artists all over the country are gone into hiding and that they were trying to take their work off the Internet.

"It's not a safe place to be an artist right now, both if you continue to create art, as well as if you were creating art these 20 years of no Taliban. These are very vulnerable communities, artists specifically and especially the artists who are from even more marginalized communities," such as women and religious minorities", says Afghan designer Shamayel Pawthkhameh Shalizi, for DW.

The Taliban has banned playing music in public. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the New York Times in a recent interview that music is “un-Islamic”.

“Music is forbidden in Islam, but we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them,” he said.

In recent media appearances, Taliban spokesmen are trying to give the impression that the group had changed its ways since its first government of the late 1990s, with more moderate positions on matters of culture and women’s education.