Have I Mentioned How Much I Love Documentaries?
Because I do! I watched another great one last night called : Afghan Star.
http://www.hbo.com/#/documentaries/afghan-star/synopsis.html
It's about Afghanistan's version of American Idol. Did you know that singing and dancing was outlawed by the Taliban in 1996? It only got repealed in 2003. So people could not sing, dance or listen to music of any kind lest they be found out and be killed as punishment. Seriously. Can you imagine?
So this show is now revered by the Afghan people and they are so excited to watch it that entire villages gather around one tiny television powered by a car battery to watch the show. The show has also brought warring ethnic groups together as they vote for someone they would have killed before just for being on the other side. Interestingly, out of 2000 auditioners, 3 were women and 2 actually made it on the show. One of the women decided to dance and show her hair during her final performance after getting voted off the show. The people were shocked and outraged and there were death threats against her and her family. Sadly she admitted that she had done that so she would be remembered and not as a political statement. It's all about fame, even in Afghanistan.
Very, very fascinating!
I love documentaries!