Music goes silent as nation adjusts to Taliban rule

KABUL • Even before the last US flight left Kabul just before midnight on Monday, many of the bright and garish sights and sounds of city life in Afghanistan were changing as those left behind tried to fit in with the austere tone of their new Taliban rulers.

The Taliban has so far been at pains to show a more conciliatory face to the world, with none of the harsh public punishments and outright bans on public entertainment that characterised its previous time in power before 2001. Cultural activities are allowed, the group said, so long as they do not go against syariah law and Afghanistan's Islamic culture.

The Taliban authorities in Kandahar, the birthplace of the movement, issued a formal order against radio stations playing music and female announcers last week, but for many, no formal order was necessary.

Already, colourful signs outside beauty parlours have been painted over, jeans have been replaced by traditional dress and radio stations have replaced their normal menu of Hindi and Persian pop and call-in shows with sombre patriotic music.

Mr Khalid Sediqqi, a producer at a private radio station in the central city of Ghazni, said: "It is not that the Taliban ordered us to change anything. We have altered the programming for now as we don't want the Taliban to force us to close down."

"Also, no one in this country is in the mood for entertainment. We are all in a state of shock," he added. "I am not even sure if anyone is tuning in to radio any more."

During the 20 years of the Western-backed government, a lively popular culture grew up in Kabul and other cities with a mash-up of body building, energy drinks, extravagant sculpted hairstyles and jangly pop songs. Turkish soap operas, call-in programmes and television talent shows like Afghan Star became major hits.

For senior Taliban members, many raised in religious madrassahs and who went through years of fighting, the change is overdue. A Taliban commander said: "Our culture has become toxic - we see Russian and American influence everywhere, even in the food we eat."

He added that the necessary changes must be made, and "this will take time, but it will happen".

Across the country, the change has been noticeable.

While senior Taliban officials have repeatedly said their forces should treat the population respectfully and not hand out arbitrary punishments, many mistrust them or do not believe the foot soldiers can be controlled.

"There is no music in all Jalalalad city. People are scared and afraid because the Taliban are beating people," former official Naaseem said in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

Local journalist Zarifullah Sahel, in Laghman province near Kabul, said the head of the Taliban's local cultural commission told the state-run public radio and six other private stations to adjust programming to be in line with syariah law. Since then, music programmes and political, cultural and news programming not related to religious issues have dried up.

REUTERS