• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%

"Return, Afghanistan" photo exhibition opens in Kabul

News Stories, 16 July 2004

© Le Temps/L.Debraine
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (in green) with photographer Zalmaï (in black) at the Kabul opening.

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 16 (UNHCR) – A travelling photo exhibition on Afghanistan has come home to Kabul, where it has been hailed as one of the biggest public events since the fall of the Taliban.

The exhibition, "Return, Afghanistan", opened at Kabul's Amani High School on Thursday with the support of UNHCR and the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was an emotional experience for the photographer, Zalmaï Ahad, who had fled the country in 1980 and was now returning to share with his compatriots his vision of a long-lost homeland through photos taken after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Among the guests was Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who said, "You showed this country as it is today. These images tell the truth, and that is why they are important."

Filippo Grandi, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and former UNHCR chief in Kabul, added, "Constantly, we read reports and more reports on Afghanistan. But the best of all reports is today before your eyes. It is made of images. And it says, with talent, two essential things about this country: it is a destroyed country, but its inhabitants are filled with hope and energy."

The exhibition was also attended by Afghan dignitaries and diplomats from UNHCR's major donor countries, including the United States, Canada, Holland, Sweden and Switzerland, where Zalmaï is now a citizen.

His fellow Afghans are now lining up to see their country through the eyes of the returning refugee.

"Yes, these photos tell us what is really happening here," said Hamida Aman, a young Afghan woman who was a refugee in Switzerland before returning to Kabul last year. "Only an Afghan could take these photos. They have a proximity to their subject that no other report on my country has ever had."

"Return, Afghanistan" will run in Kabul till August 5 before moving on to Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy and other European countries over the next two years. A parallel tour is ongoing in major US cities. Both tours were sponsored by UNHCR, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aperture, Musée Elysée in Lausanne and Fedex Express.

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related stories by:

UNHCR country pages

Repatriation

UNHCR works with the country of origin and host countries to help refugees return home.

Return to Swat Valley

Thousands of displaced Pakistanis board buses and trucks to return home, but many remain in camps for fear of being displaced again.

Thousands of families displaced by violence in north-west Pakistan's Swat Valley and surrounding areas are returning home under a government-sponsored repatriation programme. Most cited positive reports about the security situation in their home areas as well as the unbearable heat in the camps as key factors behind their decision to return. At the same time, many people are not yet ready to go back home. They worry about their safety and the lack of access to basic services and food back in Swat. Others, whose homes were destroyed during the conflict, are worried about finding accommodation. UNHCR continues to monitor people's willingness to return home while advocating for returns to take place in safety and dignity. The UN refugee agency will provide support for the transport of vulnerable people wishing to return, and continue to distribute relief items to the displaced while assessing the emergency shelter needs of returnees. More than 2 million people have been displaced since early May in north-west Pakistan. Some 260,000 found shelter in camps, but the vast majority have been staying with host families or in rented homes or school buildings.

Return to Swat Valley

Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan

With elections scheduled in October, 2004 is a crucial year for the future of Afghanistan, and Afghans are returning to their homeland in record numbers. In the first seven months of 2004 alone, more than half a million returned from exile. In all, more than 3.6 million Afghans have returned since UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme started in 2002.

The UN refugee agency and its partner organisations are working hard to help the returnees rebuild their lives in Afghanistan. Returnees receive a grant to cover basic needs, as well as access to medical facilities, immunisations and landmine awareness training.

UNHCR's housing programme provides tool kits and building supplies for families to build new homes where old ones have been destroyed. The agency also supports the rehabilitation of public buildings as well as programmes to rehabilitate the water supply, vocational training and cash-for-work projects.

Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country

The cycle of life has started again in Afghanistan as returnees put their shoulders to the wheel to rebuild their war-torn country.

Return is only the first step on Afghanistan's long road to recovery. UNHCR is helping returnees settle back home with repatriation packages, shelter kits, mine-awareness training and vaccination against diseases. Slowly but surely, Afghans across the land are reuniting with loved ones, reconstructing homes, going back to school and resuming work. A new phase in their lives has begun.

Watch the process of return, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction unfold in Afghanistan through this gallery.

Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country

Afghanistan: Mariam's StoryPlay video

Afghanistan: Mariam's Story

Mariam was a refugee in Iran for six years. The widow and mother returned in 2002 and has been internally displaced ever since. Her situation is very uncertain.
Tanzania: Road to CitizenshipPlay video

Tanzania: Road to Citizenship

In 2007, UNHCR and the government of Tanzania gave him a choice: return home or become Tanzanian. It was an easy decision for Michael Sheltieri Namoya.
Pakistan: The Floods Return Play video

Pakistan: The Floods Return

Flooding has returned to Pakistan, forcing people to flee their homes for the second year in a row. A year after his wife died in floodwaters, Obhayo Babar is on the move again.