KABUL (SW): As Afghanistan gradually enters the digital age of telecommunication, various private television channels continuo to air foreign soap operas despite repeated calls from various segments of the society to close down or at least regulate them.
In the past 14 years, the numbers of television channels have soared from one state-owned Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) channel to around one hundred terrestrial and satellite channels but the local production of drama and movies have not flurished enough to meet the growing demand.
Afghanistan has always had its problems with limitations in regard to independent local production, especially when it comes to women, romance and other liberal values. An easier way to find a way round this and being able to meet the growing demand for entertainment, many TV channels have opted to import serials mainly from India, Turkey, Iran and the U.S.
Despite, phenomenal popularity of many of these soap operas, a segment of the society that is rather influential as well, strongly opposes it.
Qayamuddin Kashaaf, head of the Kabul Ulema (religious scholars’) Council viewed these serials as a tool of propagating Hinduism and western values in the predominantly Muslim country. The council had repeatedly presented its standpoint to the president and the information ministry, he claimed.
Abdul Bari Jehani, a renowned Afghan broadcaster and the author of national anthem resumed charge of the ministry two weeks ago.
“Instead of airing meaningless plays that fuel family and other kinds of deputes in our society, people should be offered with constructive programs that are not in contravention of Islamic and Afghan values,” he told journalists in a gathering.
He underlined the need for entertainment programs aimed at educating and enriching the younger generation.
“A commission would soon be formed to identify programs that are against our values”, he hinted.
There is however, a bright side to these imported plays.
Raging wars have denied Afghans the exposure to rest of the world for decades. Some people in the entertainment industry argue that the country can simply not afford to close itself but obviously should take care of its values.
On the other side, the foreign plays have created so many jobs for the middle class educated individuals. The plays are translated and adapted into local Pashto and Dari languages that means bread and butter for translators, voice artists, composers and liner editors.
As the television industry in this war-torn country enters the digital age, the debate about whether to ban foreign soap operas or not might just take a new dimension.
A month ago, a private firm OQAAB launched the country’s first digital terrestrial television services.
In order to access the service, TV viewers need only buy a low-cost, light-weight Oqaab DVB-T2 receiver that would enable them to surf through around one hundred local and international channels without worrying about the government banning their favorite soap opera.
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