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Breaking the Silence: Music in Afghanistan (Aditi Image)
$21.99

NTSC DVD - a 60 minute BBC produced documentary about the music of Afghanistan, recorde din January 2002, two months after the fall of the Taliban and the return of public music to the country. Informal performances in streets and homes are the primary musicial sources. The DVD also includes extra, formal performances by Ustad Mahwash, Ensemble Kaboul and others, plus a history of Afghanistan, an intro to Afghan music, discography abd weblinks. 115 minutes total

"Simon Broughton's remarkable film is full of poignant personal histories." - The Independent, UK "Breaking the Silence is more than a picture. It sings!" - Farhad Darya, Afghan singer

More info:
DVD video: NTSC, 16:9 / stereo / subtitles in Italiano, English and Francais
region code: all regions

The Taliban's prohibition of music was the most severe in history. Apart from unaccompanied chants, all music was banned and instruments were broken and burnt. This film documents the remarkable moment when the country was re-connected with its musical culture. Shot in Kabul and Peshawar (Pakistan) in January 2002, two months after the fall of the Taliban, this film is an introduction to the music of Afghanistan and the way it's been caught in the crossfire of conflicting regimes over the past 25 years. Most poignantly, it shows the musicians in Kabul who are now rebuilding Afghanistan's devastated musical life. Directed by Simon Broughton, it won the documentary prize at the Golden Prague festival in 2002.

Includes:
Sarinda-player Mashinai, forced to work as a butcher under the Taliban
Singer Aziz Ghaznawi, who had no option but to sing for them
Female singer Naghma, whose tapes flooded the Kabul bazaar as the Taliban fled
Rare footage of Sufi gatherings where Islam and music fervently meet
Ensemble Kaboul, the best of the traditional Afghan groups in exile, who formed when the very survival of Afghan music seemed under threat
An extra DVD track of Pashtun singer Rita Wazhma's first post-Taliban TV broadcast of a women singer in spring 2004.