- Sudaba Haidari
- BBC
5 hours ago
Shabnam Doran was a TV presenter in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over the reins of power in the country
For many women in Afghanistan, life changed on the eve of the Taliban’s takeover of the country last August.
For a TV presenter, it meant the end of her career, as well as of her hopes and dreams. And here she is, a year later, trying to build a new life as a refugee in the UK.
On August 14, 2021, the night of the Taliban’s capture of the capital, Kabul, Shabnam Doran was preparing to present the news bulletin on the official Tolo TV screen. At that time, the Taliban forces were advancing towards the capital following they had succeeded in extending their control over large parts of the country.
The 24-year-old was a rising star. It went out on the air to announce the news to the viewers, who did not turn their eyes from the television screens to follow the developments of the field confrontations.
Shabnam recalls that moment: “I was so touched that I mightn’t even read the summary. The people who were watching me from the houses must have been feeling me.”
When Shabnam woke up the next morning, Kabul had fallen into the hands of the armed movement.
In the same studio, on the same chair Shabnam was sitting on the night before, a Taliban member was sitting with the black and white banner of the movement behind him. This scene was the end of an era.
photo released, RADIO TELEVISION AFGHANISTAN
People were circulating this image of a change in the situation before and following the Taliban’s takeover
At the movement’s first official press conference, its spokesperson told a gathering of journalists that the women would work “side-by-side with the men”.
The next day, Shabnam, who was in a daze mixed with tension, got dressed and headed to her television station.
But as soon as she arrived, she was confronted by Taliban gunmen, who were surrounding the building and not allowing entry to any non-males.
Shabnam remembers that a gunman told her that “in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, we have not yet made up our minds regarding women.” While another gunman said: “You have worked enough, now it’s our turn.”
When Shabnam replied that she had a right to work, one of them pointed his gun at her and put his finger on the trigger, saying, “One shot is enough for you – are you leaving or should I shoot you here?”
Shabnam left, but she posted a video on social media, describing the situation she was exposed to. The video went viral, putting her life and her family’s life in danger. Shabnam decided to leave, so she gathered her things in a small bag and left the country following a few days, accompanied by her two younger brothers, Mina and Humm.
Shabnam (left) with her two brothers in a park in North London
New life
Then Shabnam and her two brothers arrived in the UK, like thousands of other Afghan refugees. They had to wait a long time for things to settle down.
As a refugee who does not know English and has limited chances of finding a job, Shabnam had a difficult time adjusting to the new environment.
“I feel like I wasted the six years I spent working in Afghanistan,” Shabnam says. “Now I have to learn English and go to university. In the early days we found it difficult even to go out for shopping. It is very difficult and painful.”
Now, regarding a year later, most Afghan refugees in the UK live in hotels scattered across the country. But Shabnam and her two brothers had better luck; Earlier this year they were able to rent a house.
“Our life has begun now. It’s like we were a new kid who has to learn how to crawl from the beginning,” says Shabnam, smiling as she directs her sister to make green tea containing cardamom (the traditional Afghan blend).
We are regarding a family accustomed to London life and trying to enjoy their first English summer, although they still have homesickness.
“Now I know the secrets of my new environment,” Shabnam says. By that, she means those places where she can find the things she needs similar to the ones she used in Afghanistan.
Shabnam and her sister are currently studying English at a college, while their brother attends high school classes.
Shabnam (left) and her sister adjust to life in London
Shabnam believes that her family has received a fair amount of support from the UK government, but at the same time she is concerned regarding other Afghan refugees, some of whom are her friends. Shabnam believes that the war in Ukraine overshadowed the tragedy of the Afghan refugees.
“The process of searching for Afghans, particularly those stuck in hotels, has been severely disrupted by Ukrainian refugees,” Shabnam says. “The British government has put limits on Afghans coming to the UK but hasn’t done the same with Ukrainians.”
The BBC referred Shabnam’s concerns to the British Home Office, which responded by saying that it was “a mistake to compare Afghan refugees with their Ukrainian counterparts,” noting that the British authorities were working on a plan to absorb regarding 20,000 Afghan citizens and regularize their status in the kingdom.
The Home Office noted that “settling Afghan individuals and families is a complex process. There is coordination in this regard between more than 300 local authorities across the UK.”
Afghanistan has undergone many changes since Shabnam left. In most parts of the country, girls are prohibited from attending secondary schools, breaks have been set up in parks, and women are forced to cover their faces.
These rules also applied to television presenters and affected them in particular.
photo released, Archyde.com
The Taliban ordered female announcers to cover their faces while appearing on television
Shabnam expresses her sympathy with her female colleagues, who have no choice but to comply with the unjust orders if they want to continue working.
Shabnam says that the Taliban “want to force the women to say ‘we give up, we don’t want to come to work once more, we will stay at home’ and it stays that way until the movement changes its way of thinking in this regard.”
Despite all this, Shabnam has not lost hope of returning to Afghanistan one day.
“Like a cup that fell to the ground and shattered into fragments, so are my hopes, my plans and my dreams,” says Shabnam.
Shabnam concludes, “I look forward to a day when Afghanistan becomes a place where people not only survive, but thrive. Then I will not hesitate to return.”