Maria Laura Avignolo
08/28/2021 8:01 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 08/28/2021 8:51 AM
When
Rada Akbar
left Kabul in the chaos and with the Taliban in its streets, behind were her dreams, her project for a Museum for Women, many of her works of art and installations, her family and friends, who could not yet leave the country in that pandemonium.
This avant-garde Afghan artist, photographer for large international media and NGOs, a renowned plastic and visual artist, fashion designer and a model of the new Afghan women who developed during the last 20 years in creative freedom, is the founder of @abarzanan ,
the Afghan feminist site
.
So much so that he organized an online fashion show, in the midst of a pandemic and under the threats of Islamists.
She has just landed in Paris as a new refugee
, after the French evacuation, after the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, with her photographic treasure on her computer.
His nostalgia is his apartment in the capital of Afghanistan, his plants, his scents, his works, his clothes, his furniture, which he abandoned a month before the Taliban arrived in Kabul, when the Afghans believed that the fall was inevitable but not so fast.
See the streets of Kabul empty of women, with the Taliban on every corner, as they advanced in the French convoy to the airport to go into exile and the friends that they left, who cannot get on any plane.
Rada Akbar is afraid for his relatives who were left in Afghanistan.
Photo: courtesy Rada Akbar
These are the darkest hours in your history and that of your country.
But Rada knew that if she stayed, she was going to be counted among the dead.
The French embassy thought the same and granted him a visa to save his life.
President Emmanuel Macron said that France would open its arms to intellectuals, artists, filmmakers and academics threatened by the Taliban.
His first big news was to learn that part of his family had managed to get on a flight that left them in Germany.
Their anguish is that there are still friends in Kabul and no one will know how they can get out in the midst of that horror, when Westerners leave and the fate of Afghanistan, once again, is
engulfed in violence and Islamic fundamentalism
.
Soon, in just a few days, she will be a refugee, with a French “
carte de séjour
” and the decision to add another language to the many she speaks with her ethnic Uzbek origin: French.
Today the prolific and unique life of Rada Akbar is reduced to a suitcase of 20 kilos, the authorized limit on evacuation.
From an unnamed hotel in eastern Paris, serving his quarantine and never having known France before, Rada testifies and tells.
This was the dialogue on the phone with
Clarín.
-How did you get to France?
-Actually, I was in contact with the French embassy for my works of art and my previous exhibitions.
As the situation got worse, in terms of security, as we watched the Taliban take over more towns and districts, I became concerned about my works of art and contacted the French embassy.
-Why did you choose this country?
-I knew I could count on them, since they have been very active in the culture.
I had two meetings in relation to my work.
And when the situation got worse, they told me that they could give me a visa, to go to France, to be safe.
Everyone predicted that things were going to collapse very quickly.
We did not expect Kabul to fall in a few hours or a day.
But we knew that the next few weeks and months were going to be very tough and increasingly tough.
So I was thinking that I could leave the country for a few weeks or months until we found out how the situation in Afghanistan continued.
That was my connection to the French embassy.
-And what is your last vision of Kabul?
-Before Kabul fell, the situation was very intense.
As I was driving through the city, I saw scared people.
I could see the fear on people's faces.
Days before Kabul fell, travel agencies and banks were so crowded!
When I was walking or driving in the city, I would see hundreds of people lining up at travel agencies.
I knew that many of my friends had started to leave the country.
Many people I knew, friends, colleagues, had been processing visas to leave the country.
"As I was driving through Kabul, I could see the fear on people's faces."
-Where were you on Sunday the 15th, when Kabul fell?
-I was in town in the morning. In fact, he was driving. My family was with me. When I was driving back to my apartment, I got a call from a friend. She was crying and telling me that "they were coming" and I knew what she meant by "they". He meant that the Taliban were coming. So I called my brother. He told me that I had to run home, stay there and not come out until we knew if it was true or false. So I went to my apartment. I was renting a room in the center of Kabul. Because I left my apartment a month ago. There was a French journalist who lived with us and a friend from
The New York Times
.
I went there.
My friend, the French journalist, received a call from the embassy and they told him that I had to leave the country.
I checked with my other friends, who are also French journalists.
They told me that the Taliban were almost inside the city and that I had to do everything possible to get out and go to the French embassy.
-How was the organization?
-Then everything happened in a matter of two hours. I packed a suitcase, because the embassy asked us to have only 20 kilos with us, and I had to get to the embassy in less than an hour. We went to the embassy at 2 in the afternoon. There I could see that there were a lot of people, especially families. There was a group of French, other foreigners, many Afghans. They divided us into two groups: French and Afghans, and later, from other countries. They then took the group of internationals and Afghans to the US embassy. From there the Americans sent two helicopters to take them to the Kabul airport. But then they had to stay there for a few days, because the United States did not want to send helicopters for Afghans. So they eventually took the route to Kabul. That night I saw my city in the hands of the Taliban.They were at each checkpoint with their flags. I could see the soldiers on the streets of Kabul.
US soldiers accompany Afghans who are about to be evacuated from the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Friday.
Photo: AP
-And why didn't the Americans let the Afghans use the airlift between Kabul and the embassy?
-I don't know, because they didn't give us any reason.
But I think it's because, for them, Afghan lives weren't worth much.
They didn't care then.
The lives of foreigners were more important to them.
That's why they sent helicopters.
Later I learned that the French negotiated with the Taliban to guarantee that if they stopped us, they would not attack us.
They would let us travel safely to the airport.
In the end they brought us passports at the embassy.
French special forces escorted us to the airport.
Afterwards, yes, we did it.
So we got to the airport.
-Were you concerned that the French authorities had to negotiate with the Taliban to evacuate the embassy?
-Actually, there were three very frustrating days, in which we were very scared.
I remember going to see my friend, who was a French journalist.
I was so worried.
I asked him all the time if they were going to leave us alone and if they were going to hand us over to the Taliban.
All the time she would tell me: “No, no, the French are going to protect you, and you are under their protection.
They are just trying to get you to the airport safely, because now it is a huge responsibility for them… there are hundreds of people in the embassy. "
“I later learned that the French negotiated with the Taliban to guarantee that if they stopped us, they would not attack us.
They would let us travel safely to the airport ”.
-How were the days prior to departure, in the custody of France?
-They were taking care of us.
They gave us food, treated us with respect and kindness.
But it was very frustrating, because we didn't know anything.
No one was transparent.
They didn't tell us how they were going to do it, how they were going to get us to the airport, and what the next plan was.
It was very tiring, but in the end they handled it very well.
-And how was the convoy? How many hours did it take from Kabul to the airport?
-They brought 15 minibuses and special forces to escort the convoy.
Among us were some French citizens.
It usually takes 15 or maximum 20 minutes from the embassy to the airport, but it takes us almost two hours.
Because when we left the embassy, when we went through the checkpoint, there were hundreds of people, outside the embassy.
There were Afghans, who were desperate to get out, and they had heard that the embassy was protecting some Afghans, who were trying to go to France.
The streets were full of people outside the embassy.
-And how was the transfer to the airport?
-All the time we changed routes, and that's why it took us a long time to get there.
We entered the airport on the military side.
I think it was 11:30 or something like that.
It was late at night when we got to the airport.
The ambassador and his team were there, with the special forces.
Then they took responsibility for us and took us to the military sector inside the airport.
There they divided us into two groups, because they said that the priority was the people who had children.
The first group was evacuated early in the morning.
Then we went on the next flight, the next day in the afternoon.
From there we flew to Abu Dhabi, and stayed the night there.
The next day we took a flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris, arriving on Tuesday afternoon.
A Taliban fighter, in front of images of women who were vandalized in Kabul, days ago.
Photo: AFP
-Do you think that staying in Kabul was at risk? Why?
-The Taliban have killed so many Afghans, especially activists, who speak out publicly and above all, women.
They have been targeted by the Taliban for the past 20 years.
Since last September we lost more than 200 people, young people, activists, human rights defenders, writers, journalists, activists for women's rights.
They were assassinated.
-Do you think you could be another victim?
-They are attacking the young generation, those who express themselves, those who risk their lives every day to make a change in society.
I was on that list.
Like many of my friends, who were also on that list.
The Taliban have done it for the last 20 years and they haven't changed.
They are the same group of terrorists.
Regardless of what they say, we know how they have always treated women.
They are the enemies of women, they are the enemies of art, they are the enemies of culture and history.
And yes, if I had stayed, if they had not warned me, they would put me in jail.
“They are attacking the young generation, those who speak out, those who risk their lives every day to make a change in society.
I was on that list. "
"But are there thousands of Radas like you, waiting in Kabul to leave?"
-There are thousands of people who are working in different sectors, in the last 20 years, and who are at high risk.
The Taliban began searching door to door.
They are persecuting people who have worked for the government.
They are persecuting journalists, activists, and their families.
They say they made a statement about the amnesty, but that's not true.
They cannot be trusted.
So I am concerned about what will happen to all those who were left behind, those who did not reach the evacuation lists.
Because they will stop evacuating very soon, in a few more days.
This is my great concern, what is going to happen to the thousands of people who are left behind.
The Taliban will go door to door, and they will punish them.
-Then the retaliation of the Taliban began. Is it true that they go house to house? Are there executions?
-There were cases in Kandahar.
I think they are being cautious in Kabul, because now all the world's attention is on Afghanistan, especially in the capital.
There are many international journalists working now.
But we have to see what will happen after the Americans leave, after the international community leaves.
How are they going to start treating Afghans, how they treat all those left behind ...
- Do you think that the conduct of the Taliban will change?
-Right now, when everyone asks about women's rights, if women have the right to work, they say that everything is based on Sharia law.
What is their sharia law, and what are they talking about? How are they going to treat women based on the so-called sharia law (Islamic law) ...
-Is sharia like a black hole, right?
-Yes, because they are not transparent.
And I don't think they have changed.
Since this treaty began, they have escalated the war against civilians.
They cannot be trusted because, since last Sunday, barely a week has passed.
How can we believe that they have changed?
They have been killing people until Sunday.
Until the whole country fell at his feet.
How can we believe that they have changed?
They have been killing people until Sunday.
Until the whole country fell at his feet ”.
-And what happens to the family of those who stay? What about your family?
-We have people from Kandahar, from before Kabul fell.
They went to the families of those who were in different positions, or who worked as journalists or activists and had their residence in Kabul, but their families lived in Kandahar and Helmand.
The Taliban went to their homes, took 50 videos and photos.
They sent them to those people, and asked them to go there, to meet the Taliban, or they were going to kill their families.
So it's the same Taliban.
I am concerned that they will do the same in Kabul, once everyone has left the city.
I mean, foreign troops.
- How does the Kabul airport work, with the Taliban control, on the one hand, and the Americans and the rest of the Western forces on the other?
-This administration is a great risk.
The military part is under the control of the Americans.
So all the countries have moved their embassies inside the airport.
There is a camp inside the airport, next to the embassies.
They accept people who are on the evacuation list.
But they all have to go through the Taliban first and then the Americans.
-And who can get there?
- Each country has to send the list to the North Americans. I heard that now they send the list to the Taliban. They want to verify the names of those on the evacuation list. So this is how it works. But it is very difficult for people to get there, including my family. They tried so many times to get to the door, even with their names on the list, but they couldn't get there. Because there were thousands and thousands of people. Some are on the list and some are not. But they are so desperate to leave that they just go, gather outside the airport and make a huge mess. The other day, when my family was outside the airport, the Americans fired tear gas at them. They had been there for hours, six or seven hours, without food, without water, without anything. They had to leave, then go back to the airport.But they cannot get there and it is because the US forces do not have sufficient administration. That is why they made this mess.
-And how do you select those who travel and those who stay?
-These people who are on the list are people who are in contact with the United States, they are on your list.
But the problem is that afterwards they go to the airport and it does not make sense because there is no system to identify who is on the list and who should go to the embassy.
Sometimes they organize a convoy and tell people to go on their own, which is very dangerous.
For example, there was a list, a group of people who were at serious risk.
There was a convoy to search for them.
But later the Americans decided they didn't want to take them.
Although they were on the list.
So they are creating more hassle every day, and making it harder for Afghans to get to the airport.
-And how is the situation of younger women? Do you believe the Taliban that they will be able to work and study if they stay in Afghanistan?
-Life is not normal in the presence of the Taliban.
Because they are against so many things that how can people live a normal life?
For example, they are against music, art and women working.
They want to impose their own sharia law on all individuals, through violence.
People who do not obey, the consequences for them will be very serious.
-As which?
-It could be death.
It may be stoning.
That is not a normal life.
We had a normal life, because we had been fighting and working so hard for the last two decades, to have basic rights.
Being able to do what you want, choose what you want to do.
Choosing to be an artist, journalist, photographer, to be able to travel to provinces, towns, and now that is impossible in the presence of the Taliban, because all these things are against sharia.
-The Taliban spokesman has said that they are waiting to "train the troops" so that they can treat women. How are women treated in Kabul during these hours?
- Right now, nothing is normal in the city of Kabul.
Many are afraid to leave their homes.
My friends, my family, no one leaves the house anymore because everyone is so scared.
A journalist posted a video from downtown Kabul the other day.
You could see on the street that there were only men and no women.
Usually it was full of women, young women, who went shopping, to cafes, restaurants, families, you could see that.
When I saw that video the other day, it doesn't look like Kabul.
The restaurants are empty, the cafes are empty, the sidewalks are empty, the streets are empty.
It is very difficult to say what life is like in Kabul right now.
“Right now, nothing is normal in the city of Kabul.
Many are afraid to leave their homes.
My friends, my family, no one leaves the house anymore because everyone is so afraid ”.
-And do you think that after the foreigners leave, the Taliban will return?
-The Taliban is the Taliban.
It is their ideology.
They have been fighting for this for two decades.
I don't think they changed overnight.
That's impossible.
They are the same terrorists.
Because that's what they believe, that's how they believe in their existence.
Yes, I don't know how they are going to rule, because with all their soldiers, knowing only how to kill and destroy, I don't know how they are going to rule the country.
-And the streets of Kabul are controlled by the Haqqani clan?
-Yes, they are controlling the city.
And I heard that more Taliban are coming to the city every day.
It is seen more and more.
-And do you think the government will be able to be “an inclusive government”, as they have announced, or will there be a civil war?
-It's very difficult to predict.
Because the Taliban have all the weapons, all the equipment.
Everything.
They have the whole country now.
The Americans legitimized them.
They have all the weapons that the Americans gave to the Afghan troops, to the Afghan government.
But now everything is under the control of the Taliban.
-What are your life projects here in France?
-I arrived on Thursday, five days ago.
Until yesterday, when my family arrived safely at the airport and then to Germany, I couldn't rest, I couldn't sleep.
It was very hard for me, very difficult, because I couldn't process what had happened.
I couldn't really feel the depth of this tragedy, what had really happened and what we lost.
Because it was an immense loss.
But I didn't have the time to process it yet.
-How do you feel now?
-Since yesterday I am a little relieved, for my family and some friends who were able to leave the country.
But I am in shock.
I still can't believe what happened.
I see all these videos, all these photos.
I saw it with my eyes, the night we were leaving the embassy to the airport, but I still can't believe that we lost everything so easily.
We lost everything to a group of terrorists.
-You are much more than a photographer. You are a true avant-garde artist. What do you want to do in the current conditions? Are you staying in Europe? Are you going to Germany? Are you going to the United States?
-I know I don't want to go to the United States.
I can't bear how they betrayed us.
I think I need time to understand.
I also need to know what options I have: if I can stay here, settle here, make a new life.
I know that from an art point of view, France is one of the best places for artists.
But I think it is too early to know what my plan for the future is.
I definitely want to vent my anger and pain on art.
I want to use my art to get everything out.
Not only recording what happened, but also showing the world what we went through.
“I still can't believe we lost everything so easily.
We lost everything to a group of terrorists ”.
-And what do you think of President Joe Biden's decision not to extend the evacuation after August 31?
- If I have to give an honest answer, I lost my confidence in the western countries, especially in the United States.
I do not trust them.
I am not surprised that he did not extend it because they already betrayed us, they already took everything from us.
I think they made a pact.
We will find out one day what they did and how they did it.
We lost everything in a matter of days and hours.
But I think they are responsible for every Afghan, if something happens to those who are left behind.
Biden and his team are responsible for the lives of those people.
-And what do you rescue and what do you criticize from these 20 years of occupation?
-We fight so much and we work so hard.
We lost thousands of lives: for democracy, for the republic, for women's rights.
Getting what we had was not easy.
The cost was human lives.
And after 20 years, losing thousands of lives, billions of dollars, to replace the Taliban with the Taliban, it just doesn't make sense to me.
I want to ask the world why?
What was the point?
Losing all these lives and so much money ...
-And what role will this new generation, which grew up under the occupation, play?
-The new generation, like other parts of the world, want a normal life.
A simple life: they want to have human rights, the right to education, to work, to have freedom of expression, a free life and all that.
Everyone was contributing, fighting for a better society, for a better country.
But we all feel powerless, helpless.
Now beyond all the sacrifices, in the end it is the politicians who deal with our lives, with our countries and our cities.
-And what can condition the Taliban to become pragmatic or flexible? Hunger, international pressure, civil war?
-No lo sé. Porque si hay sanciones es la gente la que va a sufrir la peor parte. Entonces creo que el mundo tiene que ser muy cuidadoso en cómo quiere supervisarlos y presionarlos. Porque ellos no pueden darle la espalda a Afganistán. Hay miles de personas que estaban ayudando a la comunidad internacional cuando estaban en Afganistán, y muchos están en peligro y necesitan ayuda. El mundo tiene que tener mucho cuidado en cómo quiere poner presión a los talibán, La gente es la que sufrirá la peor parte. Deben presionarlos para proteger, a la sociedad de Afganistán, los monumentos culturales. Hay muchos temas de los que hay que hablar, después de que sepamos cómo lidiar con la crisis humanitaria.
-¿Y qué querés que hagan con ellos?
-Yo quiero que los borren de Afganistán. Sí me preguntan lo que quiero, quiero que me devuelvan el país, porque no es su país, es nuestro país.
París, corresponsal
CB
Mirá también
Atrapado sin salida en Afganistán: el gobierno de Joe Biden, en su peor momento