Afghanistan before the Taliban through the lens of photographer Ishaq Ali Anis, a refugee in Besançon

In 2021, after the return of the Taliban to power, Ishaq Ali Anis, with the help of the French army, arrives in France as a political refugee. Although he also photographed the war, the terrorist attacks, what he wanted to show with this exhibition is the face of a country before the chaos: “In the media, there are many reports on the war, the poverty, the misery in Afghanistan and there, one printed photographs of the daily life, the normal life. This is a photo I took on the Kabul University campus. Students read their book to prepare for exams“.

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Smiling faces, landscapes, color, sometimes joy, far from terror, even if we also discover pictures of the exodus of thousands of Afghans in the days following the Taliban’s takeover . Moving photos for visitors. “Thanks to them, we see what he went through, we know what happened, and it helps to convey a story in the end.“says a young woman.

Under each photo, the caption is written in Persian language. A bias of the photographer that he explains to the visitors of the day: “When I arrived in France, the French language, like the Persian language which is very complicated for you, was very complicated for me“. The exhibition was organized thanks to the Besançon Grain d’Pixel photography association.

Ishaq Ali Anis – Exhibition “Afghanistan-Refugee” – until April 30, 2023 – Gallery of the old post office, 98 Grande rue 25000 Besançon – Free admission