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Once again, a post in english. Both because I received many emails asking to be ‘understood’ (!) and because it’s faster, since blackouts here in Kabul are very frequent and line go down pretty abruptly. So…

Last day in town. And I could not end it up better.

It started with a visit at KMTC (the Kabul Military Training Center) – a canadian operated F.O.B. where the main training facility of the ANA (Afghanistan National ARmy) is located.

The impression is that afghans are doing pretty well and are on the right track to control their country on their own. I mean, if you visited this country -like- 4 or 5 years ago….this was a dream. And now look at them… they enter the main gate as volunteers, wearing sandals and poor clothes, asking to defend their country against the Taliban and they start literacy program, they learn a job, they get a paid, their villages see them socially advanced, etc.

You feel a sense of belonging and of pride there. And I’m not kidding. And – what amazed me – is that the Reconciliation process allow former lifetime enemies to walk in and to ask to be embedded as pairs. Cool…

By the way, over lunch with the Commander of the Base, a veteran of several wars, I found out that one of his sons got married with an italian girls. Which made the conversation quite interesting. We even talked about the Earthquake in Emilia Romagna.

But the peak of the day was my achievement! After weeks of contacts and days of tentatives, I eventually managed to meet Mary Akrami.

Mary Akrami is a brave woman. Fulstop.

She been the Director of Afghan Women Skills Development Center (AWSDC) since 1999. She set up AWSDC during her exile in Pakistan in order to build the capacity of Afghan women through English and computer literacy classes. In 2001 she represented Afghan Civil Society in Bonn and has since conveyed her experiences of civil society work at numerous international fora, including the World Social Forum in Brazil 2005. Ms Akrami has continued her work in AWSDC after her return to Afghanistan and has been involved in shelters for battered women, micro enterprise schemes for women, and has set up Peace Shuras and Committees with strong female representation in Parwan Province.

But I’ll tell you more (also with a nice video talk with her) in the forthcoming days. I just wanted to note down how impressed I was in seeing that special light in her eyes when she talked about her fights…

She’s a fighter; this is crystal clear. And she fights for the women’s right, asking not to be forgotten. She knew Shoot4Change and she asked her story to be told. ‘Because if I die – and I have many enemies around – nobody will remember what we do here. And these women deserve to be helped and supported in their fights for their rights‘

I would write dozen of pages about here now but I stop, adding only that I met one of the women in the shelter.

Khalida is a beautiful young Lady. Of the special beauty of afghan women…dark hair, dark skin, light eyes, proud sight and sweet soul.

She’s 15 and she was given as a spouse to her cousin when she was only 6 years old.

She lived with her ‘husband’ for a few months in Jalalabad but when trying to cross border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers stopped the couple and asked the boy (9 years older than her) who that kid was. When he replied that she was her wife, they took her away and put her in a orphanage.

I’m not saying it was wrong; I’m not saying it was right. That what it was and this should be enough.

Finally, about 8 or 9 years ago, Khalida found shelter in Mary Akrami’s safe house and she lives there ever since. She’s happy now; and she’s aware of her rights. I asked her if I could shoot some portraits. She agreed as all kids do.

But on second thought, I do not think I’m going to show her; she told her story with such a dignity and I decided to try to keep a memory of her smile but not of her face…

 

Today it’s my last day in Afghanistan and it is still too early for any final consideration.

But let me tell you that tomorrow I’ll fly to Dubai – and eventually to Rome – with many distinct and clear images in my mind:

the soldiers, the armored vehicles, the unexpected human touch in combination with skill and dedication;

the kids of the village hospital in the middle of nowhere and the courage of the afghan doctors (supported by the lithuanian personnel of FOB Shield) devoting all their energies to save their lives;

that kid sitting alone on his bed

the colorful school for girls in Chaghcharan and the smile and laughter of Cpt Gaižutytė

Freshta Karimi and her fight to give free legal support to women in need

the deminer dogs and those who trained

the local governors

the village elders

Miranda and Sheryl (the most powerful laughter in Asia)

Harald, Paul and Gayane – my fellow travel companions

Serafino and his continuous flow of scary press releases from back home 🙂

all our angels of the armored escorts at F.O.B. Fahra and F.O.B. Shield

the flights, the rides, the waiting, the helmets and the vest

the evening over the internet talking to family

the time spent blogging and chatting with you

the curry lamb

the water melon in Fahra

the words

the music

the pictures

the comments

the hidden stories

those I told you

those I will tell you soon

this trip

this is a country at war. They hardly saw a day of peace in their history.

You may say it’s hopeless. But it’s not. Those stories are sparkles of hope.

The Transition is on the right track.

Afghan Future will be in their hands and is around the corner

It’s time to go back home now

Antonio

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