On Maranjan Hill
Spent the morning at an orphanage and the afternoon at a women's collective, and Shujah-jan thought Lauryn Oates and I might like a look-see from up here, near the tomb of King Zahir Shah, overlooking Kabul, where we met these wee ones. The hillsides are honeycombed with holes from excavated landmines, but Maranjan affords a breathtaking view of the city, and it's a place where Kabulis come in droves on weekends, to fly kites.It's been full-bore since I arrived, roaring around town, down dusty, rock-strewn alleys. The city's all armed compounds and fortresses, shell-pocked ruins, razor wire and blast walls, teeming bazaars and beggars, soldiers and security platoons and AK47s as ubiquitous as donkey carts and bicycles. The place is seething with warm and generous and hospitable people.
I'll check in when I can.
posted by Terry Glavin at 4:30 PM
8 Comments:
I thought you might be interested in this:
"But the unpleasant reality is that it is absurd to squander time and energy on explaining to women that they have every right to educate themselves and to work outside the home, when neither the economy nor the security situation allows them to put such heady ideas into practice."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/384295_afghanaidonline22.html
Deborah Orr interprets "Barack Obama's open criticism" of Karzai's administration as "a sign that this particular U.S. delusion, at least, will soon be at an end."
Educating girls and instilling confidence and self-reliance in women are "Heady ideas"!
"Heady" the dictionary tells us, means: extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic.
See what the bad americans are doing to these poor women? Making them drunk on unachievable lofty ideals, such as being fed, clothed and secure from violence.
Just as it was absurd to squander the time and energy explaining to slaves that they had every right to educate themselves and work off the plantation, when neither the economy nor the security situation in Louisiana allowed them to put such heady ideas into practice?
Setting aside the squalid immorality of that sentiment, it's untrue on both counts. The women here don't need to be told to free themselves, and they're doing just that, inch by inch, and building their own economy with their bare hands. Least the ones I've been meeting.
Maybe Ms. Orr needs to get out more.
Bring me back a treat!
Terry,
If in your travels you bump in to Jessica Leeder from the Globe & Mail, the latte liberal dummy who wrote this skanky piece of "journalism"
http://tinyurl.com/5rc3xu
would you mind asking her about her progressive values ?
Then you can laugh at her on behalf of all of us.
Be careful, cover your six while you are there.
Terry
You're a prince among men. Take good care of yourself. I've told Z Word's readers where you are:
http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/terry-glavin-in-afghanistan/
Ben
I'll say the same thing to you, Terry, that I say to anyone else I know who's going over there: best of luck with your mission (although you get to choose yours, unlike the rest of my buds), and be sure to come home safe. I can't wait to read what you have to say.
Terry, please let us know if and how we can support the orphanage or women's centre.
Hi Bookmistress, and everyone else.
For now, see the Omid school for girls - the orphanage - here:
http://www.w4wafghan.ca/w4w_html/donation.htm
I'll be writing about these people at some length, in the days to come.
t
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