Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country\u2019s cultural life has come under severe restrictions. One of the earliest and most extreme bans imposed has been on music. The sound of instruments has faded from streets and concert halls, but music itself has not vanished.<\/p>\n
In hidden corners of cities\u2014in basements, small rooms, and secluded apartments\u2014a new generation of musicians and composers continues to play. With every note, they resist the silence imposed on Afghanistan\u2019s cultural landscape.<\/p>\n
Taliban\u2019s Official Policy: Systematic Suppression of Music<\/p>\n
Since their return, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has adopted a hardline stance against music. Media managers have been repeatedly summoned and threatened to halt the broadcast of any \u201cinappropriate music or sound\u201d deemed incompatible with \u201cIslamic principles and Afghan culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to numerous reports, one of the most widespread Taliban efforts has been the destruction of musical instruments. Taliban authorities in several provinces have announced that over 21,000 instruments\u2014including guitars, rubabs, harmoniums, drums, and sound systems\u2014were destroyed within a certain period. In Herat, widely circulated images showed a mountain of collected instruments engulfed in flames\u2014now symbolic of cultural repression.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Azizur Rahman Mohajer, a senior official from the Taliban\u2019s ministry in Herat, called the act a \u201creligious duty,\u201d stating: \u201cMusic leads youth to corruption, and eliminating it is a moral and religious necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Global Reaction: A \u2018Musical Genocide\u2019<\/p>\n
International responses to the music ban have been strong. The International Music Council (IMC) has labeled the Taliban\u2019s policy as \u201cmusical genocide,\u201d stressing that the group is carrying out a \u201csystematic erasure of a key part of Afghanistan\u2019s cultural identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahmad Sarmast, founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), now living in exile, told reporters: \u201cBurning instruments is just one example of cultural slaughter. Afghans have been deprived of artistic freedom, and the destruction of instruments reflects the Taliban\u2019s intent to erase our cultural memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Human rights organizations reaffirm that the music crackdown goes beyond the ban and destruction of instruments. In some regions, musicians have faced harassment, assault, arrest, and even torture. Some artists have been forced to bury or hide their instruments, fearing Taliban raids on homes.<\/p>\n
The Underground Generation: Resistance in Secrecy<\/p>\n
Despite the blanket ban, music survives underground in Afghanistan. Many young musicians\u2014trained before the Taliban\u2019s return\u2014now play and record discreetly in locked apartments, windowless rooms, or secret home studios. They:
\n– Hide their instruments
\n– Conceal recording equipment
\n– Perform only in small, trusted gatherings<\/p>\n
For many, exile has been the only way to continue their art. Dozens of musicians, students, and members of the ANIM orchestra were relocated to Portugal after Kabul’s collapse. They now perform as the \u201cAfghanistan National Youth Orchestra in Exile,\u201d working to preserve the country\u2019s musical heritage.<\/p>\n
At the same time, young Afghan composers in exile collaborate with international artists on joint projects, using the relative safety of digital platforms to share their sound with the world.<\/p>\n
Technology: The Last Bastion of Musical Continuity<\/p>\n
Amid the Taliban\u2019s threats, digital technology has become a crucial tool for preserving music in Afghanistan. Musicians use laptops, smartphones, and audio production software to record their work and anonymously publish it on social media and music platforms. While risky, this approach has enabled a fragile continuity.<\/p>\n
International organizations, cultural institutions, and human rights bodies have also stepped in to offer support. Some Afghan artists abroad now have access to studios and educational centers, with dedicated programs established to release their work.<\/p>\n
Clash of Forces: Power, Identity, and a New Generation<\/p>\n
The suppression of music exposes a deep clash between three core forces shaping today\u2019s Afghanistan:
\n1. The Taliban\u2019s political power and ideological control
\n2. The deep cultural and historical roots of Afghan music
\n3. A young, educated generation of musicians<\/p>\n
Music has long been part of Afghanistan\u2019s social identity\u2014ranging from classical and traditional styles to folk and modern pop. But the new generation, educated over the past two decades, now fights to keep it alive\u2014either underground or in exile. Their performances represent more than art; they stand as symbolic acts of resistance.<\/p>\n
This generation isn’t just preserving music. They are defending a cultural future that breathes and imagines. At the height of repression, they carry a message of hope: music may be banned, but it cannot be erased from the hearts of the people.<\/p>\n
Looking Forward: Hidden Hope Amid Darkness<\/p>\n
The future of music in Afghanistan remains uncertain. Public performances, concerts, formal education, and free distribution of artistic works have become nearly impossible. Yet cultural resistance\u2014both inside the country and in exile\u2014is quietly laying the foundations for music\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n
Key questions remain:
\n– Will music ever return to Afghan stages?
\n– Will the underground generation have a chance to reemerge publicly?
\n– Will Afghan voices continue to be heard only in exile and online?<\/p>\n
One thing is clear: music is still alive\u2014quieter than before, but as Afghan musicians say, \u201cAs long as even one person plays an instrument, our identity lives on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u270d\ud83c\udffb By Seyed Mostafa Mousavi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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