An Afghan Diary in Warsaw

First Week:

It’s Monday September 5th 2005; I arrived into Warsaw airport around noon. I was in the plane or transit on a bench in the last fifteen hours. I’ve already noticed a lot of changes in the way people interact and execute things. I flew from Kabul to dubai, dubai to Istanbul and Istanbul to Warsaw. Most contrasting changes I’ve noticed in the last 15 hours – which I would have normally slept – in these four airports includes, convenience, services are more designed to facilitate things as oppose to the traditional way of my part of the world complicating things. there are restaurants and lounges to relax, proper toilets, people actually wait in the queue which is a great convenience.
In Kabul airport a friend who is a cop at the airport helped me skip the lines and don’t wait at all and go straight to the lounge.
Especial attention has been paid for handicaps. Stairways, WCs and other public facilities are handicap friendly, while this is not common in Afghanistan with around three million handicaps.
There is less and less people in each of the planes I get into; when flying from Istanbul to Warsaw I was the only person in the row. Apparently, having some seats empty is for some flight safety reason.

The other difference is in cops and security personnel aggressiveness; they are more relaxed as you come toward Europe. They probably do the same job, but they treat people with more respect. They ask for a document when its needed and different people ask for the papers they are supposed to see; not exactly like Afghanistan where a cop needs to see everything and so does the flight attendant and so does….

Also women are losing some cloths and they are getting increasingly naked (if I may use that term). It’s hard to stop steering at parts of their body when / if talking to them ;-)))
They also seem more independent and relaxed. They do things more comfortably, for example they’ll run if they are to catch a flight in the last minutes, which they wouldn’t normally do in conservative Muslim countries.

******
- Djien’ dobry
- Djien’ dobry
- … …
- How long are you intended to stay in Poland?
- Ye’den Rok
- Woo lalaaaaa …. You wait here…

So of course like everywhere else I got a little special treatment and hospitality. Around 200 passengers got checked in whom I was before and then they let me go in.
As I was going from security to security I felt a different kind of sense of humour(but can’t still call it Pole, because I don’t know them that well) the cops go excited by things which weren’t that exciting for me and their excitement was very perceptible. It was also very invariable and steady. One of the cops was saying “woo lalaaaaaa” every time he got excited. But it was the same ‘woo lalaaaaa’ to different exciting things. It was like he has to be / get excited. It was definitely making him feel different, most likely in a good way. For a moment I thought we all need to get happy and excited it’s not for fun sake, it’s a need; people do it in different ways.
******
It was Victor’s birthday yesterday. We were having drinks on the roof of the hostel. There were Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians. They were all speaking in their languages, but they understand each other. At one point Ivan was struck by this and he shouted out ‘guys, have you realised we all speak in different languages but we understand each other’ and everybody laughed.
Makar said after a few minutes ‘there are only a few chromosome differences between mankind and monkey and it isn’t much. We are all human. We should understand each other’

The major difference during the last week was not about people; I don’t think cultural shock is connected to people. Although people speak different languages and has diverse values, but they are not that different. On the other hand things and ‘life tools’ could be very different. It’s the place one need to adjust to not the people. I am now eating different food, using different kind of transportation and I have to do chores such as laundry. This is all a change.

Went on a nice excursion on Friday, a nice place, around 60km west of Warsaw. It was organised by the university. Everyone was invited, only if they were singing a song. I had to sing and surprisingly contrary to what everyone else think the party thought I was a good singer and I was invited to sing again. We performed a folkloric polish dance. it was interesting and challenging.
Parties are a good place to know everyone on their personal counts; Crazy dancers, sociables, depressed, seclusionist…. We have all of them in our group. Among all I liked a seventeenth century song called ‘Sokole’ and you could listen to it here www.muzyka.pl it’s about a soldier going to war and his lover praying for his save return….

Something just crossed my mind about sharing my Warsaw experience with others.
I probably could do a five minute weekly TV program. “An afghan diary in Warsaw”. I’ll suss out if it could be aired in Tolo or Ariana or RTVA.

Profile:
- life in Warsaw and more generally in Poland
- my life, what I do, my friends, my colleagues – maybe one friend guest every week.
- Polish prospective and knowledge of Afghanistan and its issues. Different people, ages, gender, professions… Universytet Warszawski professors to a McDonald’s waitress…
How to do it:
- the possibility of doing it in corporation with a TV channel in Warsaw. If the channel could help to provide a camera and a cameraperson, in return they could also broadcast it.
- Ask the embassy for assistance, if they could buy a camera? UNESCO?

در جست وجوى ملاعمر

كابوس چهره هاى بى شمار دارد. گاه پياده مى آيد و گاه سوار بر موتورسيكلت. در تاريكى مى آيد و لباس سياه مى پوشد و در دل تاريكى مى رود و قبل از آنكه ديده شود، ناپديد مى شود. تنها در سال ۲۰۰۴ دوصد انسان را محكوم به مرگ كرد، رقمى كه از نظر دشمن پيروز او تا حدى زياد به نظر مى آيد. اين كابوس همچون يك بيمارى سمج همواره به افغانستان مى آيد و تن رنجور اين بيمار را ضعيف مى كند و به همين خاطر سراسر اين منطقه كه تقريباً نصف آلمان وسعت دارد، هنوز منطقه خطر به شمار مى آيد.طالبان هفت سال تمام چرخ تاريخ در افغانستان را به عقب بردند. دختران را از درس و مدرسه محروم و ميراث فرهنگى را تخريب و در عوض فردى چون بن لادن را مهمان محترم و ويژه شمردند و بالاخره پس از واقعه ۱۱ سپتامبر بود كه ايالات متحده آمريكا اين كابوس ساخته و پرداخته خود را از اريكه قدرت به زير انداخت. از آن زمان به بعد طالبان ديگر از تيتر اول رسانه هاى جهانى هم پايين آمده و جايى در كوه هاى پاكستان مأوا گرفتند و از همان جا و هر روز به خاك افغانستان حمله و گريزى مى زنند. اخبار و اطلاعات كمى در مورد اين منطقه در دست است. دولت پاكستان هم اين منطقه را براى روزنامه نگاران غربى به عنوان منطقه ممنوع اعلام كرده است. در سال ۲۰۰۳ دو گزارشگر فرانسوى به خاطر اينكه مى خواستند از يكى از اردوگاه هاى آموزشى طالبان ديدن كنند، به زندان افتادند و ديگرانى هم كه قصد ورود به اين منطقه را داشته اند، از پاكستان اخراج شده اند. اما اين به اصطلاح طلبه هاى جنگجو در حال حاضر تا چه حد قدرت دارند؟ چه چيزى هنوز در آنان انگيزه جنگ و مبارزه را ايجاد مى كند؟ رهبر يك چشم آنها «ملاعمر» كجاست؟ آيا هنوز هم با يار گرمابه و گلستانش يعنى «اسامه بن لادن» رابطه اى دارد؟

رشته كوه افغانستان در واقع مانعى طبيعى ميان آسياى مركزى و زمين هاى هندوستان است، منطقه اى كه متجاوزانى از اسكندر و چنگيز گرفته تا اتحاد شوروى سابق زمانى در آن به دشمنان خود چنگ و دندان نشان داده اند. خشك و خشن تر از اين سرزمين ساكنان آن يعنى پشتون ها هستند، قومى با ۲۵ ميليون جمعيت كه در دوسوى اين مرز زندگى مى كنند. پشتون ها به اصطلاح حكومت ناپذيرترين مردم دنيا محسوب مى شوند و تا به حال هيچ كس نتوانسته بر آنها غلبه كند. زمانى بريتانيايى ها سعى كردند تا با تز «تفرقه بينداز و حكومت كن» بر اين قوم غلبه كنند و بدين ترتيب در سال ۱۸۹۳ خطى مرزى ميان ايالت «پشتونستان» كشيدند. اما «پشتون ها» كه خود از چندين ايل و طايفه مختلف تشكيل شده اند، هرگز اين خط مرزى دروغين و ساخته و پرداخته بريتانيا را نپذيرفتند و همواره به اين سو و آن سوى مرز يعنى ميان افغانستان و پاكستان در رفت و آمد هستند

هنگامی که دوره های مختلف فکری را نگاه می کنيم، می بينيم که چقدر مهم اند از لحاظ شکل دادن به ايده ها و مفاهيم. مثلاً دوران اخیر که مفهوم تجدد پيدا شد ) دهه هفتاد میلادی). تجدد يعنی اينکه ما بايد نو شويم، و مدل اين نو شدن هم اتحاد جماهیر شوروی سوسیالیستی بود. ما می‌بايست از لحاظ صنعت و تکنولوژی، از لحاظ نهاد های اجتماعی، سياسی، علمی و بسياری چيزهای ديگرنو شويم.
معنی نو شدن اين بود که ما برای آنکه "آدم" بشويم بايد شبيه شوروی ها شويم. این نظریه جنبش ناسيوناليستی و چپی بود که عبارت از احزاب خلق و پرچم بود. نظر به آن بود که دنيای امپرياليسم و کلونياليسم که مسئول همه بدبختی ها و بيچارگی های ماست و اسلام و بنیادگرایی دینی همدست با امپریالیسم خون ملت ها را میمکد، اتحاد جماهير شوروی و سوسياليسم، به عنوان راه نجات همه ملت های عقب مانده و بدبخت و کشورهای جهان سومی مجسم میگردد.
در دوران کودتای 7 ثور آمريکا و غرب به عنوان مظهر امپرياليسم سخت منفور روشنفکران می‌شوند. در این دوران است که جنبش های ميانه، قطب مخالف این جریان به افراطی گری کشيده می شوند و همینجاست که جنبش های مذهبی راديکال پيدا می شوند. رادیکالیزم مذهبی و روشنفکری میانه لزومأ با قطب مخالف ایدولوژیک که امریکا و غرب میباشد هم اهنگ و همنظر نبودند. اما در آن زمان متحدین مهم بود؛ و این دو دست با هم کردند تا سوسیالیزم و مدرنیته نوع جهان سوم را از بین ببرن.
بعد از فروپاشی سوسیالیزم افراطی گرایی دینی بجان غرب افتاد و غرب را گناهکار و مسوول بدبختی های خویش میشمردند و این زمانی است که دهشت افگنی فرا مدرنی پرورش میابد.
بعد از 9 سپتمبر بخشی از روشنفکری و مذهب گرایی نزدیک به غرب و امریکا می شود و بازگشت به خود و اصالت بومی و به اين ترتيب می خواهد که آسيب شناسی فرهنگی - تاريخی ما را توضيح بدهد. و غرب هم از این روش حمایت مینماید. امروز افغانستان دو مرتبه برگشته است به طرف مفهوم مدرنيته. يعنی تمامی آن زبان راديکال ضد غرب و ضد غرب زدگی و ضد امپرياليستی جای خودش را داده به مسائل جامعه سنتی و جامعه مدرن. اينکه تقصير از بيرون نيست و، خلاصه، "کرم از خود درخت است" و "از ماست که بر ماست" و از اين جور چيزها. چون جو تاريخی عوض شده، دستگاه مفهومی هم عوض می شود. به هر حال، ما اهسته اهسته آموخته ايم که مشکلات خودمان را در خودمان ببينيم. يک نوع "رفلکسيون" يا انديشه بازتابشی در ما پيدا شده که می تواند برگردد و به خودش نگاه کند. پيش از اين ما هيچ وقت به خودمان برای يافتن عيب‌مان نگاه نمی کرديم و هميشه دنبال گناهکار و مقصر در بيرون می گشتيم.
حرکت اجتماعی، سیاسی و فرهنگی در افغانستان در سه و نیم سال اخیر يکباره زيگ‌ زاگ غريبی خورد و تصوری که ما (خصوصأ ورشنفکران ما) از مسایل اجتماعی داشت، ناگهان جهت خود را عوض کرد و به جهتی رفت که هيچ کس انتظارش را نداشت. امروزه با آمدن نوع آمريکايی جهانگيری تکنولوژی، پراگماتيسم و گريز از انتلکتواليسم بر جهان حاکم شده است. در نتيجه، بخش عمده روشنفکران می روند در بدنه بوروکراسی ها و تکنوکراسی‌ها جذب می‌شوند و کاری را که به آنها تکليف می شود انجام می دهند. ديگر نه آن نوع قدرت رهبری اجتماعی و نفوذ اجتماعی – سياسی را دارند نه سودای تغيير انقلابی جهان را. يعنی، مقام عقل کل را دست داده اند.
عمده ترین دلیل آن خل جنگسالاران از قدرت سیاسی است، اما با راندن جنگسالاران از قدرت سیاسی حادثه دیفوژن رخ میدهد ایشان جای روشنفکران را در اجتماع اشغال مینمایند و کاری را که روشنفکران باید کنند که رهبری فرهنگی و سیاسی است بدست جنگ سالاران قرار میگیرد.
در جامعه افغانی از طيف راست سنتی خيلی محافظه کار مذهبی تا طيفی که خودش را روشنفکری دينی می داند، همه در ايمان دينی يا به جای آوردن آداب شرعی مشترک اند، اما حتی در همان حوزه مسائل ايمانی هم اختلافات فراوان هم دارند. خيلی از روشنفکران دينی به ديدگاه‌های تازه‌ای از طرح مسائل در باب رابطه دين و دولت و جامعه رسيده اند که با ديدگاه روشنفکران لائيک فرق اساسی ندارد. آنها هم به آزادی، به دمکراسی، به پارلمانتاريسم، به عقلانيت و انديشه انتقادی رسيده اند. اينها از ديد محافظه کاران سنتی از حوزه دين خارج شده اند. ولی اينها خودشان را دينی می دانند و مهم اين است که خودشان، خودشان را چه گونه تعريف می کنند، يعنی خودآگاهی‌شان و کردارشان چه گونه است. ما نمی توانيم تعريف خودمان را به آنها بدهيم.

The Walk

Agathe, John, Mani and I started our Yakawlang – Chikh Chiran expedition/walk today. “the estimated flight time is 25min… we are gonna be a little bumpy, but nothing to worry about and don’t panic until we start panicing” said the pilot who was flying us from Kabul to Bamayan. “how do we know when you are panicing?” asked Mani.

As we took off john and I were singing “
بـــعد از خدایگانه خدای دلم توئــــــــــی
ائیــــــــنه تمــــــــام نمایی دلم توئــــــــی
بعد از خدا که زنده گی ما بدست اوســت
سوگند میخورم که یگانه خدای دلم توئـی
ای چنگ غم به همراهی اشک و آه مــن
سازی بزن که نغمه سرای دلم تـــــــوئی

Agathe and I were watching the pilots closely to see when they start panicing. We were cracking jokes about how would we take over the plane when the pilots panic.

We went to the station from the air strip. Ali was great – hospitable, nice – as usual.
Bamayan is colder than Kabul, even during the day. Some of us had to put on jackets.

We talked about all sorts of things with Ali. I found out the expression. “به هر صورت خوب بود یا بد بود" “ it might have been good or bad, but anyhow” means it was crap.

When we asked ali, how was the distance learning program or how is the solar system? Or other things we weren’t sure about and wanted his feedback. He said “it might have been good or bad, but anyhow” which means it was crap.

We went to see the chief of police, General Wahadat, we wanted to get a weapon from him, and the idea was to use it if we confront wolves.
On the tiny screen of a video camera he was watching some music.
He was helpful, but as everyone else he was shocked and not convinced that we were gonna do the walk.

We set off for Yakawlang around 1200 with Ali. He is so nice that he didn’t bargain for a better fare, but the price was not outrageous. I realized once you are so cool, others (majority) would also be cool to you.
Ali told me on the way “its unusual to start a trip at 1200 without having lunch, but you guys are unusual so it’s fine”

We stopped by the Buddahs and with a small bribe to police, a police took us to the top. On the way down two kids showed up and were trying to take some money out of Mani. They started coughing and prtended to be sick; Mani asked the litter girl if she smiles so he takes a picture, he’ll give her some money.
On the way everyone was telling all sorts of stories. Ali was talking about a girl who has finished school in Iran and now has returned to home in a village of 15 houses in the middle of nowhere and at least two hour away from Bamayan. She once came to the station and wanted to work and sleep there, she is bored in the village.
Yakawlang is absolutely beautiful with waterfalls and amazing color of mountains and interestingly the mountains change color in different times of day as sun light angle changes. A lot of water in the beautiful valley, the water is quite fast and the driver said there are also some fish in it, he said animals can’t cross the river.

We stayed in UNhabitat meeting room, we moved some chairs and tables and made some room to sleep there are charts and leaflets on the wall which looks like typical consultant work and I don’t think the gus here understand it. the crazy precision of figures and time make it impossible to be any practical document.
Ali didn’t want to stay with us. John and maybe gat assumed he is thinking of his reputation and don’t want to be in a room with a foreign woman. But it’s hard to tell with him if he was being polite or if he was concerned.

The guys in UN are mostly from Logar and with extensive experience of hazarajat, were wondering if they were here under Taliban or not and how would they see the perception of Pashtoons has changed since then.
I am getting sleepy, that’s it for today.

more stuff coming...