Afghanistan
Afghanistan 20 Years On
Picture above: Tarana Akbari, 12, screams after a suicide bombing at Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul on Dec. 6, 2011 Photograph: AFP/Massoud Hossaini. It is almost 20 years since the Taliban regime was removed from power in Afghanistan and the Allied military engagement in the country began. Any change made is now threatened as the United […]
ISIS Rising – The War is Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon says ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq number between 14,000 and 18,000, up from 10,000 at the birth of the Caliphate in summer 2014. It still carries out 60 attacks a month in Iraq alone and is active in the Sahel, the Philippines and Afghanistan. And the US believes the group can access a war chest of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Afghanistan: From the Taliban to Troop Withdrawal
As Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict continues, with 34 people killed recently in separate attacks on a maternity hospital and funeral, Covid-19 provides another source of despair in a country with a non-functioning healthcare system, widespread poverty and malnutrition. Will desperately needed aid continue to flow and what does the future hold for this war torn country?
A Dog Called Money + Q&A
Award-winning war photographer and filmmaker Seamus Murphy explores the creative inspiration behind PJ Harvey’s ninth studio album in A Dog Called Money, an arresting collage-style documentary charting their travels together in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the US.
The Meaning of Jihad: An Evening with Abdullah Anas
Join Abdullah Anas, Jonathan Powell and Tam Hussein to rethink what it means to be a jihadist in the modern world.
Watch the video stream of The Meaning of Jihad
Afghanistan, What End in Sight?
It’s coming up to 17 years of British military intervention in Afghanistan, and there seems to be no clear end in sight. As the Western media turns the spotlight on Syria and other conflicts in the Middle East, Afghanistan has become the forgotten war. Our panel discuss what strategy is in place to end the conflict, and the civilian costs of the war.
Magnum Chronicles: A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS
We present and discuss the first issue, A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS, which includes over 40 images from the Magnum archive, exploring the history and effects of the fall-out from ISIS and their actions over the recent past.
The Al Qaeda resurgence – how Osama bin Laden’s family survived after 9/11 and how his followers have rebuilt the terrorist organisation
Join us for an evening of conversation with journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levey to discuss their new book: The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda In Flight and the recent resurgence of the terror group, as Osama bin Laden’s son, Hamza is expected to take over the terrorist organisation.
In the Picture with Paula Bronstein: Afghanistan – Between Hope and Fear
‘Mob rule took over’ she said quietly, ‘and they killed her’. The grief and anger at Farkhunda Malikzada’s funeral is one of many harrowing events Paula Bronstein has documented. But her latest book, Afghanistan – Between Hope and Fear, captures not only the tragedy of a country ravaged by war: it also shows the joy.
In the Picture with Paula Bronstein: Afghanistan – Between Hope and Fear
Since her first assignment to Afghanistan in Autumn 2001 to document the US-led ‘Occupation Enduring Freedom’ in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, award-winning photojournalist Paula Bronstein has made the country her mission. Returning frequently to intimately document the daily lives of the Afghan people against the backdrop of a brutal and protracted war, Bronstein has captured ongoing challenges in Afghanistan – including human rights abuses against women and increased violence and instability – as well as the stirrings of new hope, including women participating in elections for the first time.
On the publication of her new book Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear, Paula Bronstein will join us in conversation with Christina Lamb to discuss her expansive work that intimately captures everyday life in Afghanistan against the backdrop of the 14-year US-led invasion and its enduring legacy.
The New War Photographers: In the Picture with David Birkin
For the second in a series of events in partnership with PARC, the University of the Arts London photography research centre based at London College of Communication, we are delighted to welcome artist David Birkin to discuss his work that challenges elements of censorship and spectacle in the so-called War on Terror.
Preview Screening – Mission Critical: Afghanistan + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with reporter Abi Austen, director Will West and producer Shoaib Sharifi.
Abi Austen served for over four years in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as both a British army officer and as a senior advisor to the US army. In February 2015, she returned to Kandahar with Unreported World to discover just what is going wrong with President Obama’s plan. In this remarkable and eye-opening film, Austen discovers on the frontline that the war in Afghanistan is now at a tipping-point. Her film poses a question for the world: will the West’s legacy in Afghanistan survive, and is that struggle still worth fighting for?
Screening: Boxing for Freedom + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Juan Antonio Moreno Amador and Silvia Venegas.
Sadaf Rahimi is the most accomplished female boxer in Afghanistan and well known within her community in Kabul, though her talent for the sport attracts social ridicule as well as fame. Sadaf’s boxing and academic achievements have led her into public visibility and turned her into a role model for many Afghan young women – although her athletic career has been jeopardised by death threats and interference from the Afghan Boxing Association, which barred her from travelling to compete in the 2012 London Olympics.
BookNight with Rod Nordland
For February’s BookNight we are delighted to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and Frontline Club member Rod Nordland to present his latest book, The Lovers. Afghanistan’s Romeo and Juliet, the true story of how they defied their families and escaped an honour killing. This is a riveting, real-life equivalent of The Kite Runner and an astonishingly powerful and moving portrayal that puts a human face to the ongoing debate about women’s rights in the Muslim world.
Screening: Guantanamo’s Child + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Michelle Shepard and others.
Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen who was captured by American forces in Afghanistan in 2002 and spent a decade imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, tells his own story in this documentary portrait from directors Patrick Reed and Michelle Shepard.
In the Picture with Giles Duley: “Anti-War Photographer”
By Ratha Lehall On Wednesday 18 November, the Frontline Club hosted photographer Giles Duley to discuss the themes and individual images in his latest project, One Second of Light. Duley was joined by Roger Tatley, director at the Marian Goodman Gallery, and Jon Levy, a photo editor currently working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). One Second of […]
Gulwali Passarlay’s Journey as a Refugee from Afghanistan to the UK
By Aletha Adu On Wednesday 18 November, Gulwali Passarlay enlightened a packed audience at the Frontline Club into his journey as an unaccompanied child refugee from Afghanistan to the United Kingdom. Joined by former Afghanistan correspondent for the BBC David Loyn, and Nadene Ghouri who co-authored his book The Lightless Sky, Passarlay was keen to […]
Frame by Frame: Photojournalism in Afghanistan
By Anna Speyart On Tuesday 20 November 2015, the Frontline Club hosted a packed screening of the documentary Frame by Frame, followed by a discussion with filmmakers Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli. The film follows four Afghan photojournalists who have the challenging task of helping to establish a free and diverse media landscape after years of repressive Taliban […]
Insight with Gulwali Passarlay: An Afghan Refugee Boy’s Journey of Escape to a New Life in Britain
Gulwali Passarlay was only 12 years old when he left his home and family in Afghanistan. He would be shot at, imprisoned and almost drown before he reached his new home in Britain. We welcome Gulwali Passarlay to the Frontline Club to share his story as documented in his memoir The Lightless Sky, and to offer his personal insight into the current refugee crisis.
Screening: Frame by Frame + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach.
After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own – reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves.
The True Cost of Corruption
By Alexandra Sarabia On Wednesday 24 May, an audience gathered at the Frontline Club for a discussion on corruption and its far-reaching implications. Sarah Chayes and Tom Burgis joined freelance journalist and host of Newshour on the BBC World Service, Owen Bennett-Jones, to talk about their experiences in Africa, Afghanistan and beyond. Chayes is an expert on kleptocracy, anti-corruption […]
Embedded with the People: Photographs of Afghanistan with Zalmaï
By Francis Churchill On Wednesday 10 June, Afghan-born photographer Zalmaï presented his latest book, Dread and Dreams, to an audience at the Frontline Club. When he returned, after a long hiatus, to Afghanistan as part of the army of press following the US-British invasion, Zalmaï quickly realised that the Western media was not showing the human elements of the conflict. Dread […]
William Dalrymple: The Battle for Afghanistan
By Olivia Acland On Tuesday 2 June, acclaimed writer and historian William Dalrymple joined an audience at the Frontline Club for a fascinating talk on his latest book, Return of a King – The Battle for Afghanistan, in partnership with the London Press Club. The work is the third volume in a series examining the history of […]
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year: The Transition of Afghanistan to the Afghan National Army
By Graham Lanktree In 2014, western troops drew down combat operations after 13 years of fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This left the Afghan Army to cope with an enemy that some of the most powerful militaries on earth have failed to defeat. In their new documentary Tell Spring Not to Come This Year, […]
In the Picture with Zalmaï: Afghanistan – Dread and Dreams
Internationally renowned Afghan-born photographer Zalmaï has spent years capturing the human cost of disintegration and dispossession caused by war around the world. In a new body of work, entitled Dread and Dreams, he turns his lens to his own country to capture life in Afghanistan against the backdrop of the 14-year US-led invasion. He will be joining us in conversation with editor-in-charge of Reuters Wider Image, Alexia Singh, to present this deeply personal and humanistic body of work of Afghan refugees, by an Afghan refugee.
Christina Lamb: Farewell Kabul
By Julia Ronyai On Tuesday 28 April, veteran foreign correspondent Christina Lamb joined an audience at the Frontline Club for an insightful discussion on her latest book, Farewell Kabul, which encompasses her experiences over 27 years of reporting from Afghanistan. Looking forward to a great evening with @christinalamb talking to @Sarah_Montague at the @frontlineclub pic.twitter.com/K1gjQsVoz7 — […]
Preview Screening: Tell Spring Not to Come This Year + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy.
When NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan the Afghan National Army (ANA) took control of Helmand Province, an extremely dangerous region where attacks by Taliban fighters are the order of the day. The directors of Tell Spring Not to Come This Year accompanied an ANA company during a year of frontline duty in Helmand.
Insight with William Dalrymple: Return of a King
The London Press Club and the Frontline Club are proud to present a talk from award-winning writer and historian William Dalrymple.
Now based in Delhi, Dalrymple joins us for a special event to discuss his most recent, acclaimed book Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42, the definitive analysis of the First Anglo-Afghan War. He will discuss parallels with current events in both Afghanistan and the UK, before taking questions from the audience.