It is easy to dismiss murals as graffiti or even as vandalism but over the years, and the last ten years in particular, they have flourished and have become widely accepted. What was once sometimes rude and crude is now often artful and valued.
Wherever I go, I enjoy seeing mural art. Most cities encourage muralists and have enabled them to make a living from their work. The murals may be in prominent places and they may also be tucked away underneath overpasses and on the walls of abandoned buildings. They may tell stories, celebrate local heroes, challenge assumptions, and promote minority views. Whatever the subject, without fail they give us something to think about.
That is why this morning’s news out of Afghanistan upset me. Before the Taliban had even installed an interim government they had begun painting over all the lovely murals. Whitewashing normally refers to covering up faults or errors. In this case, the faults are in the whitewash itself.
“The murals addressed everything from the killing of George Floyd in the US and the drowning of Afghan refugees in Iran, to the signing of the US-Taliban agreement towards peace and murder of a Japanese aid worker. “Artlords”, a group of creatives, painted the murals on walls and blast barriers, spending eight years transforming swathes of Kabul until the Taliban marched in.” Akhtar Mohammad Makoii (Courtesy of Guardian News and Media Ltd.)
Omaid Sharifi, the art group’s co-founder, said “Our aim was to promote critical thinking and put pressure on the government to accept people’s demands”. “Taliban was and is an armed movement that only understands guns, violence, beating, beheading, suicide vests and bombs. There is no vocabulary about art in the Taliban’s dictionary. They even cannot imagine art. I think they don’t understand it, that’s why they are destroying it.” Akhtar Mohammad Makoii (Courtesy of Guardian News and Media Ltd.)
From now on I will look at murals with even more appreciative eyes and be grateful to live in a country that encourages this open expression of ideas.
Snowbird of Paradise 
Upsetting as this is I firmly believe that a country gets the government it deserves.
Eventually , some people will say enough is enough and do something about it.
Maybe. It’s tough to stand up to men with machine guns, though.
Agreed! But at some point, someone allowed them to be in this position.
Stuff like what’s happening in Afghanistan does not happen in a vacuum.
I reckon it’ll sort itself out eventually, much like what happened in Vietnam.
It may take a generation. When you have been oppressed and/or abused long enough, you go into stealth survival mode.
Quite right.,
When one considers how long Afghanistan has been ”in the crapper”, it is difficult to know what the solution is, but you’re take is probably spot on.
Excellent article. Check out my most recent post where I reflected on the tragic fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Thank you. I will do that.