Afghanistan is a country where sadness and-sometimes-happiness is a way of life. Paula Bronstein has made some of the most extraordinary photos of her career in this country. “Face after face, I see complex and intriguing gazes, the constant tension between optimism and reality that so many people live with. I keep going back, motivated and inspired by those faces, pushing against the difficulties.” She hopes to find fewer doors slammed shut, and more people with something to smile about. There are many warm-hearted as well harrowing stories which still need to be told, she feels.
My Air India flight heads into Kabul, past the snowcapped mountains of the Hindu Kush. I have been coming to this country ever since the American bombing began in 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. And although my first trips here were assignment-centric, but later, a desire developed in me to catalogue the daily life of the Afghan people. From the chattering women at beauty parlours to the boys who kick soccer balls around dusty fields and fly kites on the hills of Kabul, I want to show the contrast between the serene mountains up above, and the populated regions below, which are dipped in terrorism, violence and oppression; I want to tell the story of the Afghan people in a way that makes the world take a second look and see beyond the suicide bombs; I want to show how this war-ravaged country has suffered, and sadly, continues to do so. I still go back knowing that this place will give me pictures that will amaze and bewilder me.
Outside the newly renovated Kabul airport, I board a dilapidated bus crowded mostly with Afghans. I see no other foreigners on the bus; the international presence seems to shrink each time I return. It is spring—the blooming flowers and trees take me back to the New England where I grew up and offer a welcome distraction from thoughts about any possible Taliban attacks (the road from the airport has always been a target). But my mind wanders only for a moment, and then I am back in the rugged lands of Afghanistan.
This story is from the September/October 2016 edition of Creative Image.
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This story is from the September/October 2016 edition of Creative Image.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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