From Kabul to Bamiyan - Afghanistan’s War, Ruin and Resilience | Jenny Matthews

In this episode, renowned British photographer Jenny Matthews reflects on nearly four decades of documenting Afghanistan, from the final years of the Soviet occupation to the return of the Taliban.

She recalls arriving in Kabul in 1988, photographing Afghan women during a time of war and uncertainty, and witnessing a society far more complex and vibrant than many outsiders imagined. The conversation explores her encounters with figures such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the contrasts between Kabul and the refugee camps of Peshawar, and the experiences that shaped her career.

Matthews also reflects on her remarkable journey to Bamiyan in 1998, where she found a landscape of breathtaking beauty and extreme hardship. She describes seeing families living in caves on the sides of the Bamiyan Buddhas, children enduring poverty and isolation, and the shock of coming under Taliban bombardment shortly after arriving.

From war widows and women fighters to schoolchildren, midwives and future politicians, Matthews has spent decades documenting the lives of ordinary Afghans navigating extraordinary circumstances. She reflects on the profound changes she witnessed between 1988 and 2011, particularly in the lives and aspirations of Afghan women, and on the resilience that continues to define Afghanistan despite decades of conflict.

A moving and deeply human conversation with one of the photographers who captured some of Afghanistan’s most enduring images.

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Producer | Host: Roh Yakobi

Assistant Producer/Researcher: Sa-aadat Yakobi

Music ©: Dawood Sarkhosh

Cover photo ©: Jenny Matthews/Panos

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