RASC News Agency: In the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the artistic community has been severely impacted, with musicians and artists left destitute and without opportunities. Videos featuring Mohammad Rafiq, a blind singer from Badghis province, have surfaced on social media, highlighting how, under the Taliban’s rule, both art and artists have become impoverished and marginalized. Aminullah, a civil rights activist, posted a video of Mohammad Rafiq and wrote: “The Taliban have made artists and musicians destitute. While young men with good vision leave the country to find work, what is a blind person supposed to do? How will he make a living?”
He went on to emphasize the Taliban’s open hostility toward art and music, stating, “No one can sing or play music anymore. Those who try face searches, threats, and harassment from the Taliban.” Mohammad Rafiq, a blind singer from Qala-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, has become a symbol of perseverance. Unable to afford traditional musical instruments, he has resorted to using a yellow barrel as a drum, singing folk songs with the same passion and intensity that once filled Afghanistan’s weddings and festivals. This has caught the attention of social media users, sparking both admiration and outrage.
Asadullah (a pseudonym), a close associate of Rafiq, told RASC News: “Mohammad Rafiq was born blind and used to support his family by performing at weddings and joyous occasions. But with the Taliban’s return and the ban on music, his livelihood and his life have been turned upside down.” He added: “Rafiq has memorized countless Afghanistani folk songs and continues to sing at private gatherings, lifting the spirits of his friends with his soulful voice and unwavering passion, despite the oppressive circumstances.” In a recent video that has gone viral, Mohammad Rafiq can be seen with a thick beard his appearance altered by the Taliban’s rule but his voice and enthusiasm remain as strong as ever, a testament to his enduring commitment to music.
Many social media users have called on the artistic community and cultural advocates to recognize and address the economic struggles faced by this local singer. Under the Taliban regime, music has been outlawed, and performers like Rafiq have been left unable to pursue their craft or support themselves through their art. Significantly, the yellow barrel that Mohammad Rafiq uses as a musical instrument carries a grim historical symbolism. During the Taliban’s previous insurgency, yellow barrels were repurposed into improvised bombs, used in their conflict with the Afghanistan government. Today, this same barrel serves as both a symbol of destruction and, ironically, as an instrument of music, embodying the tragic and complex reality facing Afghanistan’s artistic community.
