Kandahar

It was November 2001 when Taliban's grip on Afghanistan started to loosen up. On December 7, 2001, the last group of insurgents, who were based in Kandahar, surrendered. Two weeks later, Hamid Karzai was sworn in as leader of the interim government. These were considered momentous events in Afghan history, but time would tell if the Afghans would see it that way.

Kandahar, located in the southeast region of Afghanistan, is the country's cultural center. Not that Kabul, the capital city, is less significant but anyone who have been to Kandahar would sense that this metropolis is representative of this Central Asian nation. Afghanistan's strategic location is the reason why it's been invaded by foreign powers for many centuries. Some may wonder if this would mean that the country has a broken culture. On the contrary.

Memories of my homeland

Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner", published in 2003, was widely applauded. It was about a family who learned to be brave while dealing with their past - and facing their future. It was a bittersweet story with a hopeful ending. Many were able to relate to it. Some didn't like the author's portrayal of the Talibans, though. A story must have a protagonist and an antagonist. Authors have the liberty to exagerrate if necessary. Hosseini couldn't be faulted if he has been living in America for many years, but one would fall in love with his description of Kabul before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Those who have traveled to India would be reminded of the multicultural setting that thrived in Kabul. Life back then was simple and peaceful. The author showed members of the Pashtun people, who were an Indo-European ethnicity, and the Hazara people, whose were descended from the Mongols. A social heirarchy existed based from their physical appearance and origin.

Amir, who came from a well-to-do family, would remember Ali, son of the family servant. They were playmates, the best of friends. Amir's family, who were Pashtun people, treated Ali's family, who were Hazara. Amir was recalling these memories in America, trying to come to terms with his past. His father sensed the Soviet Union coming. (They left Kabul discreetly.) Civil war transformed the sleepy metropolis into a no man's land. Then the Taliban took over, persecuting every Hazara they saw. This led Amir to settle an unfinished business.

"The Kite Runner" didn't depict a favorable picture of the Taliban. Hosseini may not be objective about it, a sentiment shared by Afghans living in exile. The shocking news reports about the Taliban are known all over, but this doesn't mean that other civilizations (or groups) are not guilty of such things. Perhaps it would be best for readers not to think about it. (They must brace for that episode where Amir witnessed how a woman and her lover were punished for adultery.)

The novel illustrates how blood is thicker than water. Those who love their family dearly would know what it means.