"Afghanistan Unveiled"

My study of gendered struggles has been limited to the west with very little knowledge of the obstacles women face around the world. Afghanistan Unveiled was my first deep look into the lives of women in Afghanistan, and even the weight of their experiences was not realized until I followed up with the readings, “Chapter One” in Women, Islam and Cinema and “Chapter 8: Gender and Politics” in Politics and Society of Contemporary Middle East.

The opportunity of the 14 young Afghan women to leave Kabul without their male guardians, never mind to be trained as camera operators and video journalists is a huge step for women’s rights in Afghanistan. In Women, Islam and Cinema, Gönül Dömez-Colin discusses the segregation of men and women in cinemas, and prior to the allowance of women to attend screenings, cinema as viewed as “entertainment for men by men” (9). In addition, women were not even allowed to play the roles of women. The production of Afghanistan Unveiled exercised the ability of women to participate in a traditionally male field, voicing the concerns of women around the country to the world.

There are clear differences between the women filming and the women whom they are interviewing. In some cases the patriarch refuses the women’s requests for an interview, but in others, the Taliban has murdered the males, leaving the women to decide whether to allow the interview. While watching the film, I noticed that much of the blame for a lack of women’s rights was placed on the Taliban, which had since left Afghanistan, and not the sharia. The emphasis placed on the destruction caused by the Taliban evoked a sense of empathy in the audience, drawing in attention through sadness and concern. Even the interviewers, who are Afghan women felt a new level of emotion for the poor and homeless women they interviewed because many of them are from wealthy families and did not experience the same horrible acts committed by the Taliban.

The title of the film, Afghanistan Unveiled barred more weight as I continued to read and research. The different veils women wore in the film symbolized the height of their voices. Those not wearing a veil seemed to generally engage more in the interview, while others hid behind the veil and most likely the fear of the consequences of participating in the interview should the patriarch disapprove. In addition, as Dönmez-Colin points out, women were rarely allowed in front of the camera, and when they were, it was dressed as actresses, not as themselves.

Afghanistan Unveiled

A photo essay of the history of the Taliban in Afghanistan