Artist's 'Trauma' Narrative: Ignoring the Architects of Afghanistan's Despair
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab features Malina Suliman, an Afghan artist whose work explores trauma and women's experiences, tracing her journey from Kandahar to European galleries, often tying her art directly to her family's displacement and the Taliban's rule. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: They frame Afghanistan's turmoil primarily through the lens of the Taliban, while
ignoring the 2001 US-led invasion and 20-year occupation, which killed tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, destabilized the country, and ultimately led to the very conditions that propelled the Taliban's return. The Pentagon's own estimates acknowledge thousands of civilian casualties during the war, while groups like Costs of War Project estimate over 176,000 direct war deaths in Afghanistan
and Pakistan since 2001. Double Standard: Western media lionizes Afghan artists who suffer under religious fundamentalism (a convenient narrative), yet rarely highlights artists from Yemen or Palestine whose trauma stems directly from Western-backed military campaigns and illegal occupations. Where are the features on Gazan artists depicting the consequences of the 2023-24 genocide, killing over
40,000? Their suffering is deemed less palatable for Western consumption. Follow the Money: The 'war on terror' in Afghanistan cost American taxpayers over $2 trillion, with huge sums flowing to defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon. This narrative of individual trauma obscures the immense profits reaped by the military-industrial complex from the very conflict that