Sylvia's Journal

Tonight was the second time that we saw Ahmad Sham’s Sufi ensemble. It was at the American Institute of Afghan Studies where the Fullbright and Humphrey fellows and scholars have their clubhouse. One of our Afghan friends is a Fullbright scholar and she had passed on the invitation.

What we saw there was a world that is light years away (ahead) from the fighters and mullahs whose minds are still in the Stone Age. The room was full of bright, enthusiastic and articulate English speaking Afghans who had studied in the US. If only they could wiggle loose from all that constrains young people here and be let loose on ministries, businesses and parliament, then Afghanistan would be in good hands I imagine. Some are already loose, running businesses, making policies – they even created an association for policy advisors.

There were few women in the audience – Ankie and I, a few escapees from the US embassy and USAID and, later in the evening two of the students from the school where we teach. We asked the Fullbright fellows where the women were. ‘They married,’ was the answer. In this country that means for most that they are ‘out of the game.’ Couldn’t they talk with the husbands and let them come to the alumni program night? I asked. ‘A good idea,’ they said politely but I could tell they thought it was a rather stupid idea.

The music was stupendous; a Rumi song that takes about 15 minutes with a cadence that gets into your very cells and moves you from the inside out. It has become my favorite. Just when our driver showed up there was a tabla solo by a young men that left us transfixed and unable to move. His fingers moved so fast over the drum’s surface that you couldn’t see them, just wisps of air. He mimicked one horse, then a whole bunch galloping by, then a train, coming and going and finally a variety of notes up and down the scale. Never have I heard anyone playing drums like that.

This evening came on top of a day with several encouraging developments, accomplishments, and a good though small class in the after school program. It was one of these days where Axel and felt like pinching ourselves to make sure that we were really in Afghanistan. A good day indeed.