Afghanistan has witnessed many decades of conflict, yet the scars of this conflict are not always evident. Since 1999, international photojournalist Beb C. Reynol has worked on several projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, revealing the untold stories of the Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Internal warfare, past and present, has deepened ethnic and religious differences in Afghanistan culture, culminating in the Talibanization. Beb recounts that approaching Pashtuns is not easy and that the mountainous landscape, paired with randomly located checkpoints create quite a challenge, often forcing him to cross the Afghanistan Pakistan border by foot. Talibanization is omnipresent in the Pashtun territory, illiteracy is rampant, photography is forbidden, and the influence of the Taliban in isolated villages is very strong. Throughout the lecture, Beb will discuss the challenges of working in Afghanistan, while retracing the footsteps of the making of his work in the field, how it can be done, and why it is important to stay focused to the facts.
