4 March, Thursday night: weekend in Kabul. German, Nasr, and I are sitting around in the upstairs living room drinking tea and eating cookies. German is actually half German, half Afghan, but Half German Half Afghan isn’t such a clever literary nickname. German and Nasr are both in Kabul for the same basic reason: property rights. They’re fighting a complex bureaucracy and a corrupt legal system to try to win back their own property and houses from opportunistic thieves. They both appear to be losing.
On this particular night we’re watching Afghan Idol. The former host of Afghan Idol was something of a success story. He rose from zero training in broadcasting and no former education to become a real hit as the beloved host of the show. He received invitations from all over the world to visit and make appearances. Finally he accepted one such invitation, to go to the United States, upon which he immediately fled to Canada and was never heard from again.
The new generation is like that, Nasr says. Prone to flight.
Afgan Idol, the movie, was on HBO last night in the US. It was enjoyable on so many levels. Best of luck to you and I will be following your blog in San Francisco, California.
I have to see this movie!