Firm with firms

Today Karzai ordered all the private security companies to pack their bags. Foreign companies are asked to leave in the next 4 months; local companies have to find something else to do. He offered the Afghan employees of these companies a place in the police force. Only embassies are allowed to keep their own (registered) companies to guard their embassy compounds.

I think it is a good idea because the private security companies had turned whole neighborhoods into war zones. Of course it is easy for us to applaud the move because we have our own security staff and guards. We have a philosophy of being far below the radar and so we don’t expect much to change for us. But some of our sister projects rely on these companies, and many restaurants in town. I wonder about the buzz this has created in headquarter offices in Kabul and around the world.

I also wonder whether foreigners would be willing to entrust their safety to the Afghan National Police? That is after all the idea. But given how often fake checkpoints are set up by criminals or insurgents in faux ANP uniforms, I can see why people would not be too comfortable with this arrangement. How do you know that the people defending you won’t actually blow you up?

But all the news is not grim. Yesterday Axel and I had a lovely evening with our friend Razia jan and her many housemates. We arrived just in time for the breaking of the fast, with a date, as is the custom, and a glass of lemon water.

After a delicious dinner Razia jan showed me the mother-of-the-bride dress she had made for me and another one for the day-after-party. I modeled the dresses in front of the assembled housemates, under loud acclamation. One of Razia jan’s housemates had been a photo model in her teens in Korea. She is the one who organized and orchestrated the fundraising fashion show. I had watched her carefully during that afternoon of rehearsals and so I was able to add a few flourishes to my show.

Afterwards the traditional Afghan outfits for men were brought down: the peran, tombon and waskot (waistcoat) – wide pants with a drawstring, a long tunic, heavily embroidered on the front and a grey vest. After some initial protest Axel was talked into modeling these, again under great applause. We dismissed the all black one and the black one with wine-red embroidery as not good colors for a wedding; the light blue and light green outfits were not quite his size or color.

We finally settled on a white one – I don’t know if Axel will actually wear it at the wedding (it will go great with Sita’s wedding dress) or keep it for fancy events in Kabul. And of course we imagined Jim by his bride in a more fitting outfit than a suit. I took a picture and sent it to him. We can still have one made to size if he wants to but we also know that is highly unlikely.