About the Image
Girls gather at the end of recess at the Milad Atal Private School in the Kampani neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
“I made this picture on the outskirts of Kabul just weeks after the fall of the western backed government and the takeover by the Taliban, while reporting on the future of girls education. In many ways, the image represents both resilience and betrayal. Many Afghans at the time hoped that with the end of the war the new Taliban government would moderate some of its worst impulses and allow girls education past the sixth grade—in fact many Taliban officials assured both Afghans and the international community that girls would soon attend school. But Afghans were devastated when, months later the ban became functionally permanent.
As I moved around the schoolyard making pictures I was drawn by the self possession and implicit challenge this young girl confronted me with. She seemed confident of something that was lost on both Taliban officials and western observers like myself—that whatever came next was only a new chapter in the bitter history of the repression of Afghan women. The fighters, the presidents, the diplomats, the warlords, the generals, the politicians, the humanitarians, and the clerics had all failed her. If on that day the future seemed uncertain, if today five years on it seems impossible, I remember her steely determination and I’m reminded that she and others like her are the only ones who will someday establish women’s rights to full participation in Afghan society.”
The Photographer
Victor J. Blue is an American photojournalist and Graduate Director of the Visual Communications program at Ohio University. His work focuses on the legacy of armed conflict and the unequal consequences of politics and policy. He has documented the war in Afghanistan since 2009 as well as stories across the United States, Central America, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Blue’s photographs have appeared regularly in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal. His images have received numerous awards including Pictures of the Year International and NPPA Best of Photojournalism.
Our Print Sale
This image is part of a collected of curated, limited run prints available for two weeks only.
All proceeds from the sale will go directly towards the cost of training female artisans in Afghanistan. Our training helps them to refine their craft and be able to sell directly to the international market, through orders we help them secure—bringing in vital livelihoods to their families and communities in a country facing economic crisis.
About the Image
Girls gather at the end of recess at the Milad Atal Private School in the Kampani neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
“I made this picture on the outskirts of Kabul just weeks after the fall of the western backed government and the takeover by the Taliban, while reporting on the future of girls education. In many ways, the image represents both resilience and betrayal. Many Afghans at the time hoped that with the end of the war the new Taliban government would moderate some of its worst impulses and allow girls education past the sixth grade—in fact many Taliban officials assured both Afghans and the international community that girls would soon attend school. But Afghans were devastated when, months later the ban became functionally permanent.
As I moved around the schoolyard making pictures I was drawn by the self possession and implicit challenge this young girl confronted me with. She seemed confident of something that was lost on both Taliban officials and western observers like myself—that whatever came next was only a new chapter in the bitter history of the repression of Afghan women. The fighters, the presidents, the diplomats, the warlords, the generals, the politicians, the humanitarians, and the clerics had all failed her. If on that day the future seemed uncertain, if today five years on it seems impossible, I remember her steely determination and I’m reminded that she and others like her are the only ones who will someday establish women’s rights to full participation in Afghan society.”
The Photographer
Victor J. Blue is an American photojournalist and Graduate Director of the Visual Communications program at Ohio University. His work focuses on the legacy of armed conflict and the unequal consequences of politics and policy. He has documented the war in Afghanistan since 2009 as well as stories across the United States, Central America, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Blue’s photographs have appeared regularly in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal. His images have received numerous awards including Pictures of the Year International and NPPA Best of Photojournalism.
Our Print Sale
This image is part of a collected of curated, limited run prints available for two weeks only.
All proceeds from the sale will go directly towards the cost of training female artisans in Afghanistan. Our training helps them to refine their craft and be able to sell directly to the international market, through orders we help them secure—bringing in vital livelihoods to their families and communities in a country facing economic crisis.
