The mountains of the Afghan Andarab Valley mourn Fawad Andarabi, folk singer.
Renowned for his practice of the ghaychak, a short easel lute, he had come to sing in this region, a few days before being killed by the Taliban.
“Our magnificent valley, land of our ancestors”
celebrates Fawad on the video below, accompanied by his favorite instrument and other musicians.
On Twitter, Masoud Andarabi, former Afghan Minister of the Interior, pays tribute to the deceased before condemning the acts of the Taliban, installed at the head of the country since August 15.
“
Taliban brutality continues in Andarab.
Today, they brutally killed the folk singer Fawad Andarabi, who simply brought joy to this valley and its inhabitants, ”he
announces
.
Read alsoWith the return of the Taliban, concern about the historical heritage of Afghanistan
The reason for his murder?
His music is not
"Islamic"
, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, to the
New York Times
.
Fawad Andarabi was therefore killed on August 27 by a bullet to the head.
His son told the
Associated Press
that this drama only arose a week after receiving a visit from the Taliban for tea on the family farm.
A barbaric act as a preventive measure.
Music under threat
A feeling of déjà vu.
From their first takeover between 1996 and 2001, the Taliban were already showing their intention to eradicate music from the country.
"During the previous Taliban regime, the place of music and musicians was the grave
," laments Daud Khan Sadozai, a musician from Kabul, at the microphone of
France Musique
.
They systematically destroyed instruments, cassettes and televisions, anything that could serve as a support for music allowing only propaganda or religious songs ”
.
This instrumentalist, now living in Germany, managed to escape the Taliban in 1996.
Read alsoThe British Museum will return objects of art looted in Iraq and Afghanistan
In order to avoid rewriting this sinister scenario, Dr Ahmad Sarmast told the
BBC
that several students had returned their instruments to the conservatory or had even hidden them since the return of the Taliban.
“The students are afraid and worried.
They clearly understand that if they return to study music, they could face the consequences and be punished for what they have done ”
.
Read alsoThese Afghan women who live in terror of the "Taliban order"
The Taliban do not leave a choice to musicians as they restrict the rights of women.
Their spokesperson, however, pledged
"to
let
[them]
work in accordance with the principles of Islam", a
commitment presented during the first press conference since the reconquest of Kabul.
Promise in the air: for example, to date, out of 700 women journalists in the Afghan capital, less than 100 are still working according to
Reporters Without Borders
.
To read also Atiq Rahimi: "For women, the objectives of the Taliban are very clear, the application of Sharia"