The Silenced Cry
One Woman's Diary of a Journey to Afghanistan
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Inspired by a lecture in Barcelona given by a leading member of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), the radical feminist women's group who work under cover as the only real opposition to the Taliban, Ana Tortajada, an experienced Spanish journalist, decided to make a trip to Afghanistan in the summer of 2000. She wanted to learn more about the lives of Afghan women, to visit their homes and the places where they worked as clandestine teachers and doctors, to meet their families, to listen to their stories, and see how they lived under the veil.
Tortajada's journey takes her from the slums and refugee camps in Peshawar, along the Pakistani-Afghan border, to Kabul. She writes about the revolutionary efforts of RAWA, the genocidal campaign of the Taliban to extinguish the Hazara ethnicity in Afghanistan, the failure of the international community to ameliorate the alarming situation of Afghan refugees, and offers a first-hand account of the atrocities Afghan women have been suffering at the hands of the Taliban.
The Silenced Cry is not only timely, but also compelling. With extremely evocative and poetic writing, Tortajada conveys the beauty of the landscape, and the wonderfully inspiring optimism of the people. In heart-wrenching detail, we see just how debilitated and wretched the conditions were, yet we also see people who still fought for freedom, democracy, and basic human rights. Candid and compassionate, never condescending or pitying, The Silenced Cry is a human, approachable, and provocative look at the best and worst in the human spirit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 2000, Spanish journalist Tortajada and two companions set out to see for themselves the effects the Taliban had on Afghan women's lives. This account of the three weeks they spent among Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan, on the way to Afghanistan and the four days they spent in Kabul captures intimate moments, conveying not just suffering and pain but also joy and beauty. With a composed tone, Tortajada allows readers to find their own rage. They'll transcend their status as mere observers of burkas to become uncomfortable wearers. Closer in spirit to a series of letters than a diary, this work covers such diverse subjects as wedding customs, governance in the camps, rug weaving, medical crises, the activities of women's groups and the neglect of international agencies. Tortajada makes vivid a world that offers Internet cafes but lacks running water. Guides and guards merge in this place where the harrowing legacy and overshadowing power of the Taliban touches everything. Although Kabul may have changed since September 11 and American intervention, the Taliban have not. Tortajada's denunciation of it is still timely and pressing. B&w photos not seen by PW. .
