Afghan Star Case

Music in Afghanistan has been around for a very long time although over the past 30-40 years that has changed. Due to constant wars and the rule of the Taliban, all music and television was banned for many years. Now with the Taliban no longer in power, citizens are once again attempting to bring back this past time. Several television programs or shows are attempting to use entertainment as a way to bring back the culture and unity that Afghanistan once had. The documentary The Afghan Star displays the struggles producers, singers, and the average person face day to day as they fight for the return of music into their culture.

The Afghan Star is a documentary based on the television show "The Afghan Star." This film follows not only the director and producers of the show but also brings you into the life's of three contestants: Hameed, Setara, Rafi, and Lema. At first Daoud, the show director, explains the struggles the Afghanistan people have faced over the years during the time of the Taliban. They were not allowed to listen or perform music and all signs of entertainment such as Television were gone. He even visits an old shop that used to be where he'd work. He would secretly fix televisions during the night and then sell them to others all in secrecy. Participating or enjoying any of these day-to-day activities could have been life threatening. Although the Taliban no longer have power, Islamic militants still see music as sinful and many have even gone as far as to target Afghan musicians. As the competition takes off, there are many factors that affect the show making its continuance a mystery. During the show, a government organization sends a letter to the directors. They are furious that women and men are being televised together on stage performing and give them a warning before they will soon be shut down. This is because in the Islam religion this is prohibited as well as other actions such as dancing while performing. Although most poor people of the country seem to love the show over listening to politics, the government is still very against it due to their practices during the Taliban's ban.

As the film goes on, we learn how not only the show but music as a whole is slowly uniting different Afghan groups or religions together, who'd usually be fighting. To see contestants receiving votes from people of a different group is mind-blowing and signifies great success. People feel so strongly towards the show and its competitors that some even spend tens of thousands of their own money simply to send in votes towards whom they like best. One man goes as far as to sell his car so that he can purchase over 10,000 sim cards. Other car dealers lend their vehicles to the artists and their teams so that they can travel throughout Afghanistan and campaign. As they travel from city to city promoting themselves, they are seen as local celebrities. All voting is done through an SMS text message that is sent to the show headquarters. As the film goes on one contestant is knocked of on each episode. As the show comes to an end, we learn that Rafi and Hameed have made it to the final round. After a final performance from each artist takes place we are finally told that Rafi, a 19-year-old singer from Mazar e Sharif, has won the competition. An astonishing 11 million Afghans tuned in to watch the final episode. That's one third of all residents living in Afghanistan. Ultimately, the show has done wonders for these artists. Rafi as well as Hameed and the others have become household names and are currently planning tours around the world. Hameed explains that in order to stay relevant and famous he sings what the people want at that time. If the people like pop, he gives them pop music It is great to see that such a show like this or even the United States version: American Idol, can change a person life so drastically. On the other hand for Lema, it has resulted in several death threats from the Taliban people. Because of this she currently lives under the protection of the city's governor.

During the documentary, we learn a bit about each of the featured competitors. Each coming from a different small town, they discuss their struggles to get where they are today. During the time of Taliban power they had to sing and practice music secretly. Many even learned in secret schools or classes. At the time, if they were caught there life would have been in severe danger. Although times have changed for the better, it is still dangerous for them to be Afghan artists. As they travel on their campaign and take on several interviews they must be extremely careful. Being a celebrity in Afghanistan is very dangerous and comes along with death threats and other life threatening events. For instance during Setara's last performance she decided to sing with her head cover off as she danced to the music. Everyone was shocked and disgusted by this. In Islam religion women are never to dance in public like that. Because of this Setara not only was evicted from her home but she received several death threats. She decided

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