The Taliban regime has once again intensified its crackdown on Afghan cultural expression, banning filming and photography at the annual Shalimar Festival in Kandahar’s Arghandab district, a move that underscores the growing suppression of public life and media freedom under the group’s rule.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ordered journalists not to produce any visual reports of the traditional festival, warning that violators would face consequences. Several reporters were reportedly detained for hours and forced to delete all photos and videos of the event.
“Officials from the Propagation of Virtue directorate in Arghandab summoned seven journalists who were filming the festival. They were informed that, by order of the provincial governor and the Taliban leadership, all filming and photography are strictly forbidden,” a source familiar with the matter revealed.
The Shalimar Festival, which marks the onset of spring and the ripening of berries, has been celebrated for generations with traditional Pashto music, Attan dance, wrestling, and other cultural programmes. Once a vibrant symbol of southern Afghanistan’s heritage, the festival has been drastically curtailed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Festival attendees reported that Taliban forces were patrolling the area in vehicles, repeatedly urging participants to “align themselves with Sharia,” while cultural performances such as Attan and public singing have been banned outright.
The latest restrictions come as part of a broader Taliban effort to erase public expressions of Afghan identity and suppress press freedom. Journalists and civil society activists across the country continue to face detention, censorship, and intimidation, while artistic and cultural activities are routinely targeted in the name of enforcing the group’s rigid interpretation of Islamic law.
Observers say the crackdown on the Shalimar Festival is emblematic of the Taliban’s determination to control every aspect of public life, further isolating Afghanistan from the world and pushing the country deeper into cultural darkness.
