KANDAHAR (SW): Poetry, a deep-rooted and one of the most accepted forms of arts in the war-torn Afghanistan has taken to new heights this year as many known-restive provinces have revived their traditional poetry festivals to welcome the spring season.
Of all, Kandahar, from where the Taliban emerged over a decade ago, hosted such evening last week in high fashion defying all threats and the stereotypes associated with this southern province.
Though, poetic evenings (Mushaira) are common in the whole region in which known as well as emerging artists read their poetry in front of the audience with typical sitting arrangements associated to the country and the region.
The spring poetry evenings in Afghanistan however, are different to them all. Each region of this Himalayan country has an established traditional evening that is marked once a year and is named after the famous flower, fruit or the geographical feature of the region.
In Kandahar for instance, the evening is named after the “Flower of Pomegranate”. The pomegranates of Kandahar are known globally for their dark red, sweet and hard seeds. The locals take pride in it hence naming an annual evening of poetry after this “gift of Kandahar”.
“De Anargul (pomegranate flower) Mushaira” was attended hundreds of spectators in the capital Kandahar City.
Dawa Khan Meenapal, Provincial Director Information and Culture officially inaugurated the evening that saw more than 500 poets, writers and other lovers of art participating. The message of Abdul Bari Jahani, the newly elected Minister of Information and Culture, who also happens to hail from Kandahar, was read out.
Mr. Jahani himself is one of the most read and loved poet of Pashto language and the author of Afghanistan’s national anthem.
A week earlier, another restive province Maidan Wardak that is situated just around a hundred miles away from the capital Kabul hosted similar evening.
Locals in this central Afghan province take no less pride in their various juicy varieties of apples hence naming their annual poetry festival after the apple flower.
Elsewhere in the country, the eastern Nangarhar province has given this honour to the orange flower for which the province is known. “De Narang Gul (orange flower) Mushaira” has been celebrated quite frequently thanks to the relative peace in this part of the country of late.
Afghans in the northern Kunduz province enjoy the annual event named after the red tulip flowers that turn the countryside of this province like a red carpet in spring. Similarly, in the south-eastern Paktia province, locals embrace spring by organizing this annual festival named after the pine-tree flowers while in eastern Kunar province it is named after the all-year flowing Kunar River that provides water for life to most parts of this lush green province.
ENDS
