Danish Dari German Spanish French Turkish Arabic
Click here to go to start page Click here to go to start page
Search Sort content by country/region Sort content by artist Sort content by subject
News stories world-wide
News 2009
News 2008
News 2007
News 2006
News 2005
News 2004
News 2003
News 2002
News 2001
About music censorship
Artists on censorship
About Freemuse
Publications
Study room
Activities
Links
Press room

AFGHANISTAN REPORT LAUNCHED IN LONDON

01 May 2001

On Tuesday 24th April 2001 Freemuse launched its very first report; "Can you stop the birds singing?" - The censorship of music in Afghanistan, written by Dr. John Baily.
The launch took place at London's Kufa Gallery in cooperation with International PEN and attracted quite some interest from the media; several BBC units, Associated Press, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and others were present.

Welcome speeches by Mr. Moris Farhi, former Chair of International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee and Mrs. Marie Korpe, Executive director of Freemuse, click here

Read or purchase the report here

Dr. John Baily - photo by Jim Q. Holm/Freemuse
Dr. John Baily

Cover illustration, click to read the report
Read the report

From the launch - photos by Jim Q. Holm/Freemuse
Left: tabla player Yusuf Mahmoud performing with John Baily.
Right: audience discussing the report

Go to top
Read more:

Afghanistan: Singing ban is illegal, says governor
During Music Freedom Day 2008, governor Ata Mohammed Noor announced that he would try to solve the problem with the ban preventing male artists from singing at weddings
Afghanistan report Post Scriptum, 2003
Post Scriptum by John Baily to the report: "Can you stop the birds singing?" The censorship of music in Afghanistan
John Baily
Freemuse report on censorship of music in Afghanistan
"Can you stop the birds singing?" Freemuse report on the censorship of music in Afghanistan. Abstract, full report (PDF) and musical examples
John Baily
Afghanistan and Pakistan: Understanding the Taliban's campaign against music
Ethnomusicologist John Baily and Freemuse executive director Marie Korpe speak about the Taliban’s campaign against music and musicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Radio Liberty
Afghanistan: Afghan idol: 'My life is under threat'
Lima Sahar charmed her way into the third spot of the 2008 version of the wildly popular 'Afghan Star' competition. Now in exile, she fears for her life
Afghanistan: Music programmes lead to arrest
0n 24 March 2009, Afghanistan’s attorney general office arrested the manager of Amroz TV because of the station's broacast of certain music programmes
Human Rights for Musicians – Impressions & Descriptions: Farhad Darya
Testimonial by Farhad Darya in the anniversary publication 'Human Rights for Musicians - Ten Years With Freemuse'
Human Rights for Musicians – Researching 'Can You Stop The Birds Singing?'
Article by John Baily - professor at Goldsmiths, University of London, in UK
Afghanistan: Musicians kidnapped by Taliban
Six Afghan musicians have been kidnapped by the Taliban for defying a ban on music
Agence France-Presse
Afghanistan: Short video about music and 'community censorship'
In a short documentary video about music and 'community censorship' in Afghanistan, the 19-year-old Afghan singer Mariam says she gets verbal abuse all the time
Journeyman.tv
Go to top