Rory Stewart on Kabul

Rory Stewart on Kabul

12 Mar 2009

Speakers: Rory Stewart

Rory Stewart OBE provides an insight into the richly varied cultural and architectural history of Kabul, created by its prominent position along the Old Silk Road. He describes how the great heritage of Kabul has been decimated over the course of history, not only by figures like Genghis Khan in the 13th century, but by the British occupation in the 19th, and then by the Soviets in the 20th century.

Stewart’s courageous solo walk across Afghanistan in 2001-2002, combined with his existing expertise in the politics, history, art and architecture of the region, has made him one of the foremost authorities on Afghanistan.

Having given a brief outline of the history of Kabul, including the Afghan revolt against the British, Stewart brings us all the way forward to the present, to the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, the hugely successful urban regeneration programme that he founded in 2005. The project operates exclusively within the Murad Khane district of Kabul, and aims not just to improve the living conditions of Afghanis, but to enhance their own sense of cultural and historical identity, by repairing old buildings and restarting the teaching of traditional Afghan trades. At one point, Turquoise Mountain employed every man of working age in the Murad Khane district.

Stewart’s message is clear: in order to give Afghanistan any chance of successfully developing in the future, we must be aware of of the responsibilities we bear from the destructive British engagement there, and should encourage a natural, gradual reconnection of Afghanis with their cultural identity. Any approach which is heavy handed, or oversimplifies the sheer complexity of creating a climate conducive to legitimately rebuilding this nation, is bound to fail.

Following his lecture proper, Stewart fields questions on the culture of Kabul, as well as on US and British strategy in the region. He refers to troop surges as “positively noxious”, and insists that we must try to find a political solution in Afghanistan, but that it requires the international community to create a realistic space for that to happen.