Thesis Book - Seeds of Hope

CULTURE: MUSIC
The rise of westernized music in the 1960s
made high school students in Kabul learn about
accordions, piano, guitar, and drums. New international
artists such as Ahmed Zahir and Farhad
Darya were formed and during this era of new music
was produced. Dr. Ahmed Zahir. the son of the prime
minister in 1971-72, composed traditional songs
with western rhythms which allowed him to express
his feelings about the country’s politics. Soon
Ahmed Zahir was remembered as a legend in not only
Afghanistan, but also Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran,
Pakistan, and even in some communities located in
Europe and North America. Even today, many young
singers and songwriters look up to him and aspire
to be like him. The rise of the “Golden Age” music
then became apparent in the 1970s when the country
was under peaceful rule. During this time Northern
Indian music became more popular in the court. Afghan
and Indian artists were often called into the public
courts and the songs were transmitted to radio stations.
The radio stations were then programmed into
two main languages, Dari (Persian) and Pashto, and
many musical styles were broadcasted like classical
court music and traditional folk music. Overall,
their evolution of musical styles was one of the
very few things which helped the Afghans sustain
their culture and identity despite all the suffering
Fig 7
and pain they people have dealt with (Sakata).
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