Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes
Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010 portrays the journey of 15 students from Kandahar province, Afghanistan, who were taught to take photographs, through which they tell a story about everyday life in Kandahar province.
The beginnings of this journey were simple. As a follow up to a successful first phase of a similar project run in 2008, these students were each given a camera and taught how to use it, learning along the way about the technicalities of photography. The students were asked to go to everyday places throughout Kandahar province and take photographs of Kandaharis at play, entrepreneurial spirit, harvests and people on the move. They took hundreds of photos, showing a very colourful, vibrant and a sometimes difficult way of life in the province.
The 15 male and female students who took part in phase two of this project also received some literacy training. They shared these new skills by writing in Pashto a poem or creative narrative describing their feelings about the 30 photographs that were chosen to be part of the Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010 photo exhibit. Their words were translated into English and French and every effort was made to preserve the authenticity of their expressions.
Lucas Robinson, a CIDA employee speaks to a
group of Ottawa high school students about his
experience living in Afghanistan at the launch
of Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010.
The photos and narratives were first launched at the Pomegranate Festival in Kandahar City on May 6, 2010., These photos tell us a different story than the one of war and destruction that we tend to know.
The exhibit was also launched at Colonel By high school in Ottawa, Ontario, and the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., to share—with very different audiences—what these young Kandaharis think, feel and hope. In Washington, the exhibit was launched by Ambassador Garry Doer, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States and Ambassador William Crosbie, Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan. Introducing the Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010, Ambassador Crosbie emphasized how Canada’s youth programming, particularly education, changes the future for young Afghans.
In Ottawa at Colonel By high school, Lucas Robinson, a CIDA employee who worked for a year in Kandahar province as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), spoke to the students about life in Afghanistan. He talked about the resilience of Kandaharis and about how, for these students, learning to use these cameras and continuing to take photos could lead to a career in photo journalism for some.
Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010 kick starts a new youth initiative to speak with more young Canadians and share with them the story of Canada’s work in Afghanistan. Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes 2010 will travel to schools across Canada. To request a stop at your school, please visit the Through Afghan Eyes 2010 by visiting the youth zone on afghanistan.gc.ca.
