Kabul Musicians Continue Secret Performances Despite Taliban Ban

Music is officially banned in Afghanistan, but musicians in Kabul continue to play in secret.

The Taliban, who seized power in 2021, imposed a ban in 2022 that restricts musical expression to unaccompanied religious vocal chanting. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice enforces the rule through its morality police.

Saif ul Islam Khyber, the ministry spokesperson, stated that music is forbidden in Islam because it serves as a means of joy to Satan and leads to other vices. He said no one is permitted to listen to music or record songs.

Many artists fled the country after the takeover. Those who stayed hid their instruments or shipped them abroad to prevent authorities from smashing them. In Kucha-e-Kharabat, a neighborhood in Kabul’s old city known for its music shops, stores now sell groceries, clothes, and household goods instead of instruments.

Musicians who remain report that playing has become a matter of survival. One musician, who spoke on condition of anonymity, plays a hand-carved wooden rubab in his home. He said he will continue to play as long as he is alive to ensure the tradition is not silenced.

The rubab player was the son and grandson of musicians. He previously earned about 10,000 afghanis, or $150, a day from teaching and owning an instrument shop. After the ban, he lost his business and now earns about 100 afghanis, or $1.50, a day doing manual labor. His father died of a heart attack shortly after the shop closed.

Another anonymous singer in Kabul hides a rubab, harmonium, flute, tabla, and keyboard. He said covering his instruments with a tarp felt like being buried alive. He spent two years unemployed before starting a small business.

Underground performances have become rare due to the risk of arrest. The singer said he has not performed at a secret gathering for four years because government agents are actively searching for musicians. He does not want to end up in prison while he has young children.

The rubab player escaped arrest during a recent raid on a secret gathering. Attendees took photos and sent them to the vice and virtue police. Many participants were arrested, but he slipped away. He has not performed in public or semi-public settings since.

Musicians are passing their skills to the next generation despite the dangers. The rubab player said he will teach his eldest son to ensure the lineage continues from grandfather to father to son. The singer described music as inseparable from Afghan society, comparing the bond to that of a fingernail to the flesh.