An oasis of hope Afghanistan: What associations arise when you mention this country? The meaningless ten-year Russian-Afghan war, the events of which an ordinary person knows from the news, and from the films Rambo 3 and 9 Company, the Taliban, terrorism, drugs and, perhaps, everything. Hardly anyone immediately remembers the ancient culture and developed gardening. This is due to the fact that the constant presence in a state of civil war led the country to devastation, poverty and almost complete lawlessness, providing Afghans with far from the best reputation on the world stage. Nevertheless, the director Orlando von Einsidel, who shot the documentary short “Skeitistan” in 2010, tried to show that this long-suffering state has bright sides and chances for a decent future.
The film tells about the birth of skateboarding in Afghanistan, which was facilitated by Australian Oliver Perkovich, who opened a branch of the Skatestan school in Kabul. – an island of the world, free from intercultural and interethnic strife, where every child can feel the joy of childhood, forgetting for a while about problems, make friends and learn to skate, instead of running with a kalash at the head. Hence the cognitive dissonance provoked by Orlando von Einsidel’s desire to play on contrasts. On the one hand, we see enthusiastic children enjoying a new hobby and sincerely hoping that life in their country will improve, and on the other, the ruins of Kabul, impoverished residents wandering through huge landfills in search of food, walls depicting combat operations, skeletons of military equipment that have already become part of the interior and a close-up goat head, lying in the dust, as a symbol of the general decline of Afghanistan, the powerlessness and its inability to change anything.
Six years have passed since the release of Skatestan, but the film has not lost its relevance, since the situation in the country has not improved, and even worsened due to a new threat - the ISIS group. However, the popularity of skateboarding continues to grow, and most often, girls who are forbidden to ride bicycles join the ranks of Skatestan. By exercising, Afghan children become more disciplined and friendly, letting light into their fragile souls. They try to think positively, knowing that the future of the country depends on them. And the more valuable are such simple, but very important words that fly out of children's mouths.
- We don't want war...