Silent Voices: Life and Loss of Local Singers Under Taliban Rule

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, music and other artistic activities in Afghanistan have faced severe restrictions. Many local artists have been forced to change their professions or flee the country to support their families.

Mirwali Hemat, a local singer from Nangarhar, used to perform at weddings and celebrations, providing for his family of eleven through his singing.

He says many artists fled the country after the ban on music, while those who remained abandoned their instruments and now struggle to survive.

Mirwali now drives a rickshaw in Jalalabad to feed his large family.

“Before, people invited us to perform at weddings and celebrations, and we could earn up to 10,000 Afghanis per event. Now everything is forbidden, our work has vanished, and I spend my days and nights just trying to find a piece of bread,” he says.

Shams Pardis, a well-known folk singer from Laghman province who also plays the sitar, has been involved in local music for over a decade.

“I haven’t sung at a single event in four years. I’ve tried to forget my art, but I can’t. Sometimes I hum quietly to myself at home, just to ease the thirst of my soul for music,” he says.

Pardis now sells vegetables in Mehtarlam City to support his family of nine, earning barely 150 Afghanis (about $2) a day.

He says many artists have already left Afghanistan, and he too is trying to leave. “I’ve tried several times to go to Turkey or Europe, but I haven’t succeeded. The economic situation here is terrible. Sometimes I don’t even have enough money to buy medicine for my sick wife or children.”

Naqeeb Najrabi, a folk singer from Kapisa province, says he also gave up music after the nationwide ban on artistic expression. He now drives a taxi along the Kabul–Jalalabad highway to support his family.

“The Taliban once arrested and tortured me for secretly singing,” he recalls. “They raided my house, confiscated my instruments — harmonium, rubab, and sitar — and destroyed them. I was released only after signing a guarantee that I would never sing again.”

Now, when Naqeeb drives his taxi, he sometimes listens to his own old songs or those of other artists. “It’s the only way I can still feel connected to music,” he says.

He calls on the Taliban to at least allow traditional and folk music, saying it is a vital part of Afghanistan’s culture and should not disappear.

Several Afghan cultural activists have also urged the Taliban to consider artists’ livelihoods and stop restricting cultural life.

Cultural activist Mohammad Naeem Faryad says: “The Taliban have taken this joy away from people. In many areas, they’ve even beaten people for playing music during weddings. This situation is unbearable.”

He adds that the ban has not only caused severe economic hardship for artists but has also deprived ordinary Afghans of the joy and color music once brought to their lives.

The Taliban considers playing or listening to music haram (forbidden) and has imposed strict bans across various provinces. In some areas, musical instruments have been confiscated and burned. These measures have forced many artists to flee the country or seek alternative ways to make a living.

*For safety reasons, pseudonyms have been used in this report.