Erasing culture also to undermine social cohesion and identity

Afghan culture is extraordinarily rich and diverse, with deep roots in ancient history and remarkable artistic flourishes over the centuries. The Taliban regime—both in the 1990s and since its return to power in 2021—has severely repressed it, effectively erasing most cultural expressions.

Let’s start with literature. Afghanistan has a millennia-old literary tradition. It is part of the Persian cultural area, so much of its literature is in the Dari language (a variant of Persian), but also in Pashto, Uzbek, and other local languages. One of the greatest classical Persian poets, Rumi (Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī), was born in Balkh, in present-day Afghanistan, although he later lived and died in Anatolia. Other well-known Afghan poets include Khoshal Khan Khattak (Pashto, 17th century) and Rahman Baba. Artistic expression is certainly not limited to antiquity: in the 20th century and until the 1970s, Afghan literature flourished with novels, short stories, poems, and cultural journalism, where social, patriotic, and philosophical themes were common. After 2001, with the fall of the first Taliban regime, there was a new cultural ferment, including among women writers (such as Homeira Qaderi and Spozhmai Zaryab).

The Taliban ban any form of literary expression that does not respect their strict interpretation of Islam. Censorship targets critical or “immoral” texts, anything related to women’s education (many female writers have fled or been forced into silence), and modern publications. A directive from the Ministry of Education ordered private universities and higher education institutions across Afghanistan to remove from their libraries books deemed “contradictory to Hanafi jurisprudence and challenging the faith.” In October 2024, the so-called Ministry of Information and Culture announced that the commission charged with evaluating the content of published books had identified 400 new titles “in conflict with Islamic and Afghan values, most of which had been withdrawn from the market.”

Afghanistan was a crossroads of civilizations—Persian, Greek, Buddhist, and Islamic—and was therefore particularly rich in the visual arts and architecture. The Bamiyan Valley, for example, was home to the famous Buddha statues, tens of meters tall, symbols of Greco-Buddhist art; Islamic decorations, Persian miniatures, mosaics, and calligraphy flourished during the Islamic centuries. In the modern era, contemporary artists such as Shamsia Hassani, Afghanistan’s first female street artist, have sought to use art to denounce war and repression.

The Taliban prohibit the depiction of humans and animals, abstract or politically charged art, and street art. They destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan in 2001, a symbolic act of cultural erasure. Many artists are in exile or forced into anonymity.

Afghan music also has a rich tradition, featuring instruments such as the rubab (stringed instrument), the tabla, and the ghichak; folk songs in Dari, Pashto, and other languages ​​celebrate love, nature, and spirituality; Afghan classical music, influenced by India and Persia, has produced famous musicians such as Ustad Mohammad Omar. After 2001, there was a veritable boom in Afghan pop, hip-hop, and electronic music, including female performers such as Aryana Sayeed. Music also became a vehicle for protest and cultural rebirth.

The Taliban ban music, which is considered haram (forbidden). During both their regimes, musical instruments were burned, music schools were closed, and musicians were persecuted or fled abroad, as happened to members of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music who took refuge in Portugal, and to the Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra, founded in 2015 and forced into exile by the capture of Kabul in 2021. Even listening to music in private can lead to punishment.

Afghanistan had a vibrant film production in the 1960s and 1970s. After 2001, new directors emerged, such as Siddiq Barmak (director of Osama bin Laden) and Shahrbanoo Sadat.

Today, the Taliban ban cinema, theater, and television if they don’t comply with their rules. Actors risk arrest or death, and all production is censored or shut down entirely. On May 13, 2025, the Taliban dissolved the Afghan Film Organization, once the country’s only state-run film body, and closed its offices. The Taliban made no official statement, but staff were informed that the institution’s facilities had been closed and its activities halted.

Chess has been part of the cultural and intellectual tradition in Afghanistan’s regions, though often played by the educated classes or as a pastime in urban settings. In the decade preceding the Taliban’s return, had also grown female participation. In May 2025, the Taliban regime banned the game of chess: spokesman Atal Mashwani said that “religious considerations” prevented the game; “According to Sharia,” he explained, “chess is a means of gambling.”

Any type of celebration or event related to Afghan cultural traditions is repressed or banned. For example, on May 13, 2025, the Taliban Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice banned filming and photography during the traditional Shalimar Festival in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province, warning journalists not to produce photo reports of the event. The annual celebration marks the arrival of spring with the ripening of berries, typically lasts 20 to 40 days, and includes traditional wrestling, Attan dances, songs, and other cultural programs.

Minorities, such as those in Daikundi province, known for its distinctive culture, primarily linked to the Hazara ethnic group, are particularly affected. The dress code imposed by the Taliban is completely foreign to Daikundi: the province’s folk dress is famous for its elaborate designs that elegantly decorate bright, bold dresses and headdresses. On June 29, 2024, local Taliban authorities in Daikundi [80] issued a six-day deadline for women to wear full-body black hijabs and face coverings.

Finally, kite flying holds a special place in Afghan culture, a pastime but also a historical tradition, rich in cultural, social, and even political significance. Kite flying, gudiparani in Dari, is an ancient practice, especially in Kabul, but also widespread in other cities. Traditionally, kite flying is associated with fun for children and adults during winter and holidays, and is also a symbol of freedom, imagination, and resilience, especially during difficult times. It’s not just about flying kites; the real passion lies in the competition, called jang-e-gudiparan, or kite warfare. Kites are equipped with special strings coated with abrasive powder (called tar) to cut the opponent’s string in the air; the winner is the one who manages to “free” the enemy kite, which the children then chase to retrieve. During the first Taliban regime (1996-2001), kites were banned because they were considered a form of Western or “un-Islamic” distraction and entertainment; this ban was one of the symbols of cultural suppression during that period. Since 2001, kite flying has enjoyed a revival, also becoming a symbol of cultural revival. After the Taliban’s return in 2021, a general official ban was not reintroduced, but in many conservative or tightly controlled areas, kites are frowned upon or restricted. However, in cities like Kabul or Herat, some people continue to fly kites, often secretly or discreetly; for many, flying a kite today is an act of cultural resistance.

Women, who had been protagonists of the post-2001 cultural renaissance, have been excluded by the Taliban from all cultural institutions and are prohibited from singing, acting, writing freely, teaching, or studying art and literature.

As the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights stated in his February 2025 report [5], “cultural erasure not only deprives communities of their common heritage, but also undermines social cohesion and identity.” And this is a clear objective of the fundamentalist, illiberal, and misogynistic Taliban regime.

Sport in Afghanistan: Between Passion and Prohibitions

Sport in Afghanistan has always been a vibrant expression of society, suspended between tradition, modernity, war, and religion. From the dusty fields of Kabul to the arenas built with the help of international NGOs, to the rural arenas of buzkashi (a traditional equestrian sport in which riders compete over the carcass of a goat), sport has for years been a channel of expression, freedom, and even social redemption. But today, under the second Taliban regime, much of this has changed.

After the fall of the first Taliban regime in 2001, Afghanistan experienced a period of cultural and sporting renaissance. During those two decades, gyms, sports fields, and stadiums were built, thanks in part to foreign aid; popular sports, such as soccer, cricket, weightlifting, and martial arts, spread even to the suburbs; women began to participate in sports publicly with the formation of women’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, and cycling teams; Some Afghan athletes achieved international success, such as Rohullah Nikpai, an Olympic taekwondo medalist.

Sport, in those years, represented a tool for social inclusion, education, and peace, especially among young people. Women’s participation, though opposed by some conservative sectors, was considered a symbol of progress.

With the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, the situation has radically changed: women’s sports, both public and private, have been banned, resulting in women’s gyms being closed, and athletes being forced into exile or silenced; some sports, such as chess, have been declared contrary to Sharia law; public competitions for men have been reduced or strictly controlled; the few permitted sports, such as cricket and buzkashi, are practiced only by men and often under strict surveillance.

Athletes who have fled abroad (Australia, Europe, the USA) are trying to keep their careers alive in exile, forming clandestine teams or teams officially recognized by FIFA or local federations.

Afghanistan participated in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a delegation of six athletes: three men and three women. This gender-balanced representation was organized by the Afghan National Olympic Committee in exile, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC); in addition to the official delegation, several Afghan athletes competed as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. The Taliban regime disavowed the participation of the female athletes, claiming that only three male athletes officially represented Afghanistan. The IOC, however, excluded all Taliban representatives from the Olympics, denying them accreditation for the event.