From the fall of the Taliban until its return, people all over Afghanistan planned their lives around Afghan Star. People would pack into apartments. Villages would hook up generators to a single tv so crowds could watch. New Year’s celebrations would come to a halt, all to watch this one show. Over its 15 seasons, Afghan Star spotlighted an Afghanistan that could be: women singing without hijabs, Afghanistan’s first rapper, people of warring ethnic groups hugging and cheering for each other on stage. And it launched a cultural revolution. This is the story behind it all– from how a ragtag team scrambled to make the show every week, to the dangers they faced for trying to push the country forward. In Afghanistan, a cultural revolution was televised through a musical talent show, and this is its story. Hosted by John Legend.
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05/16/24 • 3 min
The Last Soviet - Introducing: Afghan Star, hosted by John Legend
Transcript
Once upon a time in Afghanistan, the Taliban band music.
Speaker 2Radios were smashed, instruments burned, people buried their televisions and cassette tapes six feet under and for five years there was silence.
Speaker 1But one man, Daoud Sadiki, refused to bow down. He risked his life to join an underground network of people smuggling music and movies aroun
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