My Love for Afghan Music

By Jimmy Anderson

In 1977 in Narvik, Norway, on my 15th birthday I got a short wave radio from my parents. It was so interesting to listen to all the foreign radio stations. One of the first I could hear was Radio Afghanistan in Kabul. I got fascinated by the music I heard. Never before had I listen to such interesting music. From that day, 20 years ago, I fell totally in love with Afghan music. I also had a tape recorder, and I decided to do something with my interest in Afghan music. I wrote to Radio Afghanistan and told them about my interest. After a short time, I received a tape with Ahmad Zahir's songs. I played it again and again. I was also given the address of "Afghan Music" in Kabul. I got in contact with them and a guy there started to send me cassettes. I remember paying 4 US dollars per cassette including postage. This started my collection of Afghan cassettes. I loved listening to the voices of Mahwash, Salma, Hangama, Nashenas, Naghma, Farhad Darya, Parastoo, Ahmad Zahir's, and all the other singers. They were for me such wonderful representatives of Afghanistan. No other place in the world could you hear the musical style like in Afghanistan. For me the sentimental songs gave me tears in my eyes, some instruments made the atmosphere mysterious, the modern pop songs made me happy, and all I wanted to do was to jump up and dance. Being here in Norway listening to all this made me think "the Afghans should be very proud about their music culture ". In 1987 I got my first videotape with Afghan singers, and I could see my heroes on TV. Fantastic! Each year I got a few parcels, each with 10 cassettes. From time to time, I got videocassettes. In December of 1993 my collection of Afghan cassettes had grown to several hundreds. But that month it was all over. I got my last parcel from Kabul, and my friend was never to be heard again. As I write this, my VCR is on, and I see Farhad Darya sitting on a hill with view over Kabul singing a song about the city. At the end, I would like to say that I have not given up my collection of Afghan music and have been able to get a few tapes and CDs from Haywad Production in America. If anyone has tapes they can copy and sell me or know CDs for sale, pleasee-mail me at janderso@online.no or write me at: Ofotveien 1 8500 NARVIK NORWAY All the best, Jimmy Anderson Narvik, Norway

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