VIDEO
56k | 100k | 300k
for Battle
K. Najib, Ghazni, August 1988
 "Homeland" has meaning in every culture. The homeland may be where your ancestors are buried or the place from which you come. The site of both bounty and misfortune, it is often the setting of stories that connect you to the past as well as the future. For Afghans, whether in Afghanistan, refugee camps, or New York City, the homeland can take on all or some of these meanings. In December 1979, the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan. Foreign troops patrolled the roads and laid claim to the country's resources. Bombers and helicopters attacked villages suspected of supporting the resistance. An estimated one million people were killed and countless homes were destroyed. Afghans faced a dilemma: stay to defend their homeland or flee to protect their families. Ultimately, many men chose both options, leaving their families in refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran and returning to take up arms against the invaders. The photographs and videos in the exhibition document the difficult choices the Afghan people faced in the wake of the Soviet invasion.
Copyright © 2002 Asia Society
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