Cultural Attache
The Cultural Attaché of the Embassy works in close coordination also maintaining direct contact with the Planning and Foreign Relations Department of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Strong cultural institutions contribute to the advancement of an open, self-analytical, and democratic society. As H.E. President Hamid Karzai has explicitly expressed, “the rehabilitation of Afghanistan's cultural institutions is one of the main priority of the Afghan Government and people”.
The Cultural Attaché Office builds on the history of cultural relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which extends to the fields of Museums, Archeology, Fine Arts, Library (literature & poets), Music, Film Industry and Tourism.
The Afghan and Pakistani communities support numerous Afghan Intellectuals, Artists, Writers, Filmmakers and Musician. Several Afghan and Pakistani cultural organizations / foundations currently operate inside Pakistan.
The Cultural Attaché Office organizes / facilitates Cultural shows, Arts and Handicrafts exhibitions, Cultural festivals, Musical performances and Film festivals, as well as regularly advises and collaborates with Pakistani cultural agencies for better expose of the Afghan Culture to the Pakistani public.
Provision of proper service for foreign guests and tourists, and development of Tourism industry is another part of the Cultural Attaché Office responsibility.
The Cultural Attaché Office also intends to provide and distribute Dari, Pashto and English Newsletter in order to inform the Afghan and Pakistani communities from the Government of Afghanistan and Embassy news and events.
The Cultural Attaché Office also works for promotion of sports between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Cultural Show: Culture is the identity of every nation and it must be preserved. Through exchange of cultural shows we can share these values with other nations over the world.
The ancient history of Afghanistan is dated back 5000 years with a reach cultural and divers civilization.
Right after the establishment of interim government in Afghanistan many cultural programs conducted by various government and independent institutions inside and outside Afghanistan.
Exchange of cultural delegates between Afghanistan and Pakistan during recent years enhanced the two brotherly countries relations with each other. Many Afghan and Pakistani musician and artists paid visit to each other countries and both performed and presented their valuable cultural shows, which were highly supported by communities.
Afghan Cultural Union: These unions are running cultural activities in different region of Pakistan, mostly located in NWFP, Balochistan and some associations existed in the capital. The Afghan Cultural Association, Afghan Women Network, Afghan Student Union in Islamabad and Rawlpindi are the examples of such unions which are conducting various cultural events in close collaboration of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad; the celebration of cultural week, Annual bazaar, teacher's day, women day and Nau Roz (21st March) for instance can be mention here.
Artists: Art is a great medium of communication of human feeling and expressions, and the artists are the intellectual properties of each country.
Fortunately we have many Afghan artists living in Pakistan and carrying their professions in different aspects of fine arts: sculpture, painting and calligraphic masterpieces.
The cultural section of the embassy is engaged in supporting and promoting of such Afghan talents. One of the most prominent and renowned Afghan artist/painter is Mr. Ghulam Mohaiyuddin Shabnam Ghaznawi who is 73 years and still engaged in drawing and paintings. The book of "Afghan Refugee Artists" published in October 2002 by financial support of Dutch Embassy and UNESCO assistance is one of his literary works in Pakistan, exhibited in Islamabad in 2003. He is the Honorary Consultant to All-Afghan Artists Union and Unions Representatives in Pakistan.
Afghan Nomads (Kuchis): Tribes people - Kuchi in Persian means "those who move" - migrated across parts of Afghanistan semi-annually with their caravans of goat, sheep, donkeys and camels. In the eyes of the West, Kuchis are famous as silver and lapis lazuli bejeweled and brightly robed carefree nomads.
Kuchis live in a delicate symbiotic relationship with peasants and environment. Traditionally, they lived by selling young animals, dairy products, wool, sheepskins, meat, or bartering those goods, for wheat grain, vegetables, fruits, and other foodstuffs. Nomads contribute importantly to the national economy in terms of meat, skins and wool. The nomads provided villagers with tea, sugar, matches, kerosene, guns, etc. as well as being moneylenders to village farmers. Being able to move from pasture to pasture, nomads escape the limits on size of local herds which villagers are subject to. The Afghan nomads are important for the maintenance of the marginal hilly grasslands.
Kuchis are Pashtuns from southwestern and eastern Afghanistan. In 1892, King Abdul Rahman granted Pashtun Kuchis grazing rights in the Hazarajat and also moved Kuchis and peasants into northern areas populated by Tajiks and Uzbeks, a move which resulted in continued ethnic strain.
The Kuchi's lifestyle has been eroded both by long-term changes associated with "modernization" and by devastating short-term events [like the droughts of 1971/2 and 1998/2002, and the wars of the 80s, 90s and today]. Their population was estimated at 2 - 2.5 million in the 60s, 70s and early 80s, but has shrunk to 1.3 - 1.5 million today according to a recent study by the UN's World Food Program. Roads, drought, landmines, Russian bombing, U.S. cluster bombs, and war-related impoverishment have all played a role in this halving of the Kuchi population.
Nau Roz (New Year Festival 21st March)
The largest and best-known festival, held throughout the country, especially popular in Mazar e Sharif, where the festivities last for up to 10 days. The people of Mazar also call this celebration Gul-e-Sorkh, after the abundant red tulips that grow wild around the city.
One of the biggest ceremonies of "Nawroz" is held in Mazar-e Sharif which is called "Janda-e Sakhi", where thousands of people gather (mostly men and boys) to raise the so called "holy pole". The saying is that the outcome or success of raising the pole is an indication of the type of year ahead.
Traditionally Nau Roz is a time when prizes and medals are bestowed on artists for their achievements and on farmers for their produce; buzkashi games are held in the stadium and picnics go on until late at night, with music and dancing in the parks and open grounds around shrines. Nowadays the Ministry of Information and Culture organizes the concerts.
Afghanistan is preparing these days to welcome her ancient tradition “Nawroz” (New Year). Afghans by all means are prepared to welcome the arrival of grass, flowers, trees, birds and the reawakening of nature and arrival of spring.
For Afghans, the celebration of “Nawroz” means that everything and everywhere shall be cleaned and renewed; washing clothes, cleaning the house, carpets, doing their best to throw away the problems belonging to the previous year.
They are also opening their doors and windows to let the fresh air of “Nawroz” in.
The children wear new clothes and receive “Nawrozi” (sweet-money), while the adults visit each other and eat “Haft Mewa” (compose of seven dry fruits) and congratulate each other for “Nawroz”.
In many other places young Afghan men have egg fights (hard boiled and colored) and come home with dozens of colorful eggs they have won making the children happy and cheerful.
Afghans have many reasons to be happy and to enjoy this great day. “Nawroz” is the beginning of Afghan women’s many ancient traditions and their spring celebrations, such as preparing “Samanak” (sweet pudding made of wheat germ), “Sabzi Chalaw” (spinach and white rice), “Dalda” (mashed wheat dish) “Nazr-e DigCha” (rice and milk dish), “Kesh Mesh Panaer” (cheese and raisins picnic beside a river) and “Kolcha-e Nawrozi” (colorful cookies on top of colorful paper), and many more.
Sport: The people of Afghanistan love playing all kinds of sports. The most popular sport in Afghanistan is buzkashi, a team sport played on horseback. The second most popular sport is football (soccer), followed by cricket. Cricket gained popularity in early 2002, when Afghan refugees, who lived in Pakistan (where cricket is very popular) returned home and brought the sport with them.
A lot has changed since the fall of the Taliban for Afghan sports and athletes. For instance, now more women have taken up various types of sports such as football, martial arts, and boxing.
During the dark rule of the Taliban, participation by both men and women in many sports were restricted, and buzkashi was even banned. Instead, the Taliban used Kabul's sports stadium to carry out public executions.
Popular Universal Sports Played in Afghanistan
• Wrestling (Palwani)
• Boxing
• Martial Arts
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Bicycle racing
• Archery
• Shooting
• Running