March 26, 2005
Afghanistan celebrates New Year with hope for the future
from Agence France Presse
March 21, 2005 1:40 PM GMT
Tens of thousands of people flew kites and danced on the hills outside Kabul Monday to mark the Afghan New Year, as President Hamid Karzai gave a reminder of the challenges ahead for the devastated nation.
"It is up to us to rebuild Afghanistan with our hard work," Karzai told farmers from the provinces at a ceremony in the city's stadium, after planting a tree to mark the greening of Kabul after a quarter-century of war.
The festivities for New Year, or Nawroz, were a chance for people in the world's fifth poorest country to forget their worries as they struggle along the road to democracy more than three years after the fall of the Taliban.
Afghanistan is making some progress, with last year bringing the country's first ever presidential election -- won convincingly by Karzai -- and the year ahead promising historic parliamentary polls.
But US-backed Karzai must persuade millions of farmers, officials and warlords to disentangle themselves from the debilitating opium trade, while remnants of the hardline Taliban continue their campaign of violence.
In a sharp reminder of the continuing legacy of war, a teenage boy lost a leg in a landmine blast in Kabul's Karte Sakhikhel district, where many Shiite Muslim families had gathered to picnic and visit a shrine for the New Year.
"He was taken to hospital and has lost one of his legs and may lose his second leg which was badly injured," Interior Ministry press officer Dad Mohammed Rasa told AFP.
Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with around 50 people a month injured or killed by mines laid during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s or the civil war during the 1990s.
However there were scenes of jubilation and optimism in many parts of the capital, with thousands of people visiting the Tapia Maran Jan kite-fighting festival.
Minibuses carrying dancing youths snaked their way up the hill towards the tomb of King Nadir Khan, while women came with their families to picnic and loud music played from parked cars.
"When I see all this enthusiasm and joy, a newly elected government and a rainy winter after years of drought, it makes me think the dark night is over and we are at the dawn of a new age," said 42-year-old Saeed Rahim, an Afghan visiting his country for the first time after 10 years in exile.
Electrician Mohammed Ismael, 20, who came with his family to picnic on the hill, added: "This place was one of the places where factions fought in Kabul in the civil war, and nobody dared to come here.
"But I can see people who come here are enjoying life and it is a big change."
In the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif huge crowds gathered in the streets to mark the New Year, the local police commander said.
Back in Kabul, Karzai ushered in the New Year by planting a tree to mark the greening of the dusty city, almost denuded of trees by war and drought, before going on to the stadium.
With helicopters flying overhead and surrounded by heavily-armed US bodyguards wearing sunglasses, Karzai said Afghans should be grateful for the international community's help but urged them to rebuild the country themselves.
"With God's grace this year we have enough snow and rain and we hope we will have better agriculture than last year and be able to sell our fruits in Afghanistan, neighboring countries and overseas once again," he said.
Last week Condoleezza Rice made her first visit to Afghanistan as US Secretary of State and praised the people as an inspiration to the world for emerging from decades of turmoil and embracing democracy.
More than eight million voted in last October's presidential polls.
Afghanistan has set a September 18 date for parliamentary elections, which would complete a transition to democracy laid out in the Bonn Agreement in December 2001.
LETTER FROM ALEAN HAIDER, member of the Women's Peace Circle in Kabul, March 25, 2005:
Hello Mrs. Staphanie,
Thank you so much for the news that you send me. when I read the news about Afghanistan I become so happy that after a long period of war now our people find the opportunity that at least think about other things to make them happy and it is great that they celebrate the New year with happiness and farmer plant trees and etc.
that is so great to hear you are planning to go to Afghanistan and i hope that you go that time of the year that i am there as well. it is so nice that you learn Dari and that would be great to hear while you are speking dari.
wish you all the best and hope to see you in Afghanistan.
best regards,
alean
Alean Haider is a student at Montclair State University on full scholarship, thanks to the The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women (IEAW.org)
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