Taliban

by J.L. Anderson, Thomas Dworzak

Days after the Taliban had fled the city of Kandahar, the Magnum photographer Thomas Dworzak discovered portraits of men in high-heeled sandals with make-up - a tradition of the native Pashtuns long noted for their flamboyancy - hanging up alongside photographs of Hollywood movie stars. With sultry poses in front of often garish backdrops, this is an illicit side of the Taliban, not expected to be exposed.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2004

About the author

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Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Lee Anderson is a reporter for the New Yorker, who somehow stumbled on these images while in Afghanistan. Photography was essentially banned by the Taliban, but many pro-Taliban fighters got these portraits done clandestinely, a kind of Afghani equivalent of Glamour Shots. The soldiers hold there AKs, but often wear make up and flowers. The studio backdrops depict Swiss chalets and similarly exotic scenery. On the whole this gave me a very different understanding of Afghanistan and the Taliban, but each portrait is fascinating in its their own right.

[Stanley Conrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trifling, though interesting novelty item, better glanced through quickly at a library or book store than purchased. I'd be shocked if anyone bothered to open it twice.