"Sound Central" rocks Afghanistan

Published October 1, 2011
Rishad Afzaly (R), from the Afghan rock band White Page, plays a guitar next to his band member Ratib Ramish.
Rishad Afzaly (R), from the Afghan rock band White Page, plays a guitar next to his band member Ratib Ramish.
Afghans seen at the underground pre-rock festival concert.
Afghans seen at the underground pre-rock festival concert.
Tears of the Sun, a rock band from Uzbekistan, performs during an underground pre-rock festival concert.
Tears of the Sun, a rock band from Uzbekistan, performs during an underground pre-rock festival concert.
Hojat Hamid (L), Sulyman Qardosh (C) and Qasen Foushanji practise during a workshop as part of preparations.
Hojat Hamid (L), Sulyman Qardosh (C) and Qasen Foushanji practise during a workshop as part of preparations.
Musician Qasen Foushanji (L) smokes as he chats with his friends during a workshop.
Musician Qasen Foushanji (L) smokes as he chats with his friends during a workshop.
Guitarist Hasher plays during a workshop.
Guitarist Hasher plays during a workshop.
Raby Adib (C), a member of rock band White Page, checks his guitar during a workshop.
Raby Adib (C), a member of rock band White Page, checks his guitar during a workshop.
A picture of Osama bin Laden is seen on a guitar belonging to an Afghan rock musician.
A picture of Osama bin Laden is seen on a guitar belonging to an Afghan rock musician.

Afghans are used to having their days broken by a burst of gunfire or the boom of an explosion. But the barrage of drumming, bass beats and amped-up guitar solos that will hit the city next week may stop many in their tracks. Sound Central, a one-day “stealth festival” that organisers hope will draw 1,000 to 2,000 young Afghans, will be the first music festival the country has seen since it plunged into three decades of violence in the late 1970s. -Photos by Reuters

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