Press Releases 2009
"In the Shadow of the Mountains" Photo Exhibition
On October 10, the historic Chahar Suq Cistern in Herat opened an exhibition of more than 75 striking photographs of people and places in Afghanistan by American photographer Steve McCurry. U.S. Deputy Ambassador Francis Ricciardone traveled to Herat for the opening. The Ambassador commented that, "The timeless images captured in these photos -- taken over 27 years -- depict the children, families, shepherds, laborers and landscapes that are essential to the enduring spirit, grandeur, and beauty that is Afghanistan."
The exhibition was born of the conviction that positive representations of Afghans, their country and their culture are important to balance the hard images frequently displayed today. McCurry has commented, "It is the wild, stubborn and unconquerable spirit of the ancient country that has drawn me back again and again for thirty years. It is this spirit that helps re-build Afghanistan and is evident in the desire of all Afghans to build a better future for their children."
McCurry's career was launched when, disguised in native clothing, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled Afghanistan just before the Russian invasion. When he emerged, he had rolls of film sewn into his clothes and images that would be published around the world as among the first to show the conflict there. Many of his images have become modern icons including the famous photo of the green-eyed Afghan girl at Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan.
The exhibition in Herat follows a very successful exhibition at the Bag-e-Babur (Babur Gardens) in Kabul in April 2009. At that event, more than 2,500 Afghans viewed the photographs. In addition, more than 2,000 students visited the exhibition on school field trips, guided by Kabul University students who were trained under a U.S. Embassy program administered by Educational Support Organization, an Afghan NGO. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has provided valuable support for both exhibitions.
For the Herat program, Educational Support Organization is also training local guides from the community to provide educational programs for around 3,000 schoolchildren. The exhibition will be open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Thursdays. Special tours for schoolchildren will be held on the remaining days of the week.
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