“Since Sunday, we have been hiding,” Nargis said in a Whatsapp message. She is 27 years old and a single mother who lives in Kabul and has been working as a tattoo artist for the past two years. She also runs cosmetics and massage studios. She put up posters of women with heavy makeup in sparkling clothes all over the wall.
Even before the Taliban came to power, Nargis, whose real name was different, was a colorful person, and for some people, it might even be dismissive. But the business is going well—in fact, it’s so good that after she got rid of an abusive marriage a few years ago, she has a lot to offer her nine-year-old son: private school, foreign language classes, a tortoise as a pet .
Both of them are scared now. “I have locked the studio, and I don’t even dare to approach the building or block because I have received threats from the Taliban in the past,” she reported. We were completely overwhelmed. I don’t even go shopping outside, and I hardly talk to other family members—only those who we hide with. “
Last resort: escape
Fear of losing business is the least they worry about. The young mother worried that she would be punished for working under the Taliban. She doesn’t close her eyes at night. She kept making escape plans. Even if she was wearing a burqa and a blue robe covering her entire face, she did not dare to go out. She just wanted to go out again: on the way to the airport.
Leaving this country, her beloved hometown, Nargis built a future there, and she now thinks this is her only choice. “Although out of fear that the Taliban might find me in this way, I have disabled all social media, but the Internet is my only opportunity to escape all of this.” Maybe it is possible to take one of the planned evacuation flights and obtain a visa. The destination doesn’t matter, she just wants to escape. No matter how tolerant the Taliban were in their initial communication, staying there is no longer an option. Pursuing her career as a tattoo artist, “that would mean my death”.
Cotton pants instead of long hair
Fawad hid in another house in Kabul. He is 22 years old and is a rapper and break dancer. Within a week, he was actually studying at Kabul University. On weekends, he likes to play with his “brothers”, sitting with them in his dark, smoky recording studio, recording new beats. He didn’t know when—and how—he would see his friend next time.
Social media brings the team together. Although none of his close friends lived far away, he had not seen her since the Taliban invaded. “We will attract too much attention,” the student said, his name also different. There are still many things that are unclear in Kabul, but many things seem certain: Fawad’s long hair is tied in a bun, and his hip-hop clothing no longer fits the new Kabul. Therefore, he unearthed traditional Afghan clothing: loose cotton trousers and a long tunic that he usually wears only on holidays or weddings.
