The Theme Of Music In Hameed's 'Afghan Star'

779 Words2 Pages

Music played a very important role in the film, not only is it the main theme of the contest and the documentary itself, music possess many forms and symbolisms: (1) it brings people of different social backgrounds (wealth, age, beliefs) together from different parts of Afghanistan; it is of music’s power that people who were originally divided can unify and support the same person whom they favour regardless of their past conflicts and differences (2) it has a political means that allow people to realise that they have a choice (3) it is a symbolism for change, giving the subalterns an opportunity to turn over and climb up the social ladder (4) musical lyrics act as an expression of singer’s political stance and voice of hope, e.g. Hameed’s …show more content…

It offers a reminder of how much has changed in Afghanistan from the late ’70s—when Kabul was a secular-oriented city with co-ed universities and a thriving nightclub scene—to the rise of the Taliban. Yet even during the country’s most repressive era, people would watch TV or listen to music in secret, and yet today, many are eager to turn back the clock. It also shows the cruel reality that when people are given the freedom de jure to test the boundaries of social mores, they will backtrack in the face of harsh judgment and even extrajudicial violence from conservative social authorities. . The roots and causes of the rejection of singing contests, even after they have been granted the legal freedom to do so, has not been satisfactorily explained by the documentary; why did the male participants not receive death threats and can still plan to have tours abroad, while both female participants received death threats in the end? Marking could have followed the stars for a longer period to talk about their lives after the show, and how the appearance on the show had affected them, instead of providing just one sentence in a subtitle ; did the country change in a liberal direction as a result of the talent show? It is perhaps

More about The Theme Of Music In Hameed's 'Afghan Star'

Open Document