Our Man on the Horn

bookmania:

“I love her and that is the beginning and end of everything.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald (Art by by Imkellycummings)

futurejournalismproject:

Banksy on Advertising

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Attan is a traditional Afghan dance; It’s origin lies in the Afghan Pashtoon tribes pagan yester-years and usually involved men performing a ritual dance. This was later modified into a Muslim dance of soldiers to allow the dancers to get ‘closer to God’ before they advanced on their missions. It was noted by the Moghuls of the period and is unique only amongst Afghans living in and around southern borders of Afghanistan.

It is performed usually with a Dhol, which is a double-headed barrel drum that has a very deep and low resonance sound. Other instruments can include a single barreled Dhol, Tablas, the 18-stringed Robab, Surnai flute (aka shanai-India, zurna - Central Asia and Turkey, and zurla Macedonia), or wooden flute known as a Toola. The technique behind the Attan has changed much for over centuries, but its base has not changed. Its a circular dance ranging from two to over a hundred people, and the performers will follow each other going round and round in a circle to the beat as the rhythm and beats faster.

More complex Attans involve an Attan troup leader who begins the attan slowly using a variation of styles and techniques, and the ultimate spin is performed after the leader gives the signal, either by placing his hand on the floor or raising it in the air. The musicians perform the music at the technique of the leader and is fully dependent on the attan leader for guidance. The dance can be anywhere from 5 minute to 30 minutes long. The attan will end when no dancer is left standing on the dance floor.

There are many different kinds of Attan in Afghanistan, Kabuli, Wardaki, Logari, Khosti/Paktia, Herati, Kochyano, Khattak, Pashayi (played with Surnai flute), and Nuristani. 

(source)

(via watanafghanistan)

watanafghanistan:

Afghan traditional dress

eastafricaart:

“She is mine,” Lucki Mutebi

wanjikunjoroge:

We are Who We Were I (2012) Mixed Media on Canvas 50cm x 40cm SOLD

(via eastafricaart)

warsanshire:

to all the babes who’ve asked where the poems that were on my tumblr and blog have gone: i’m creating an ebook compiling all the work. if you’d like to submit artwork inspired by my writing (collage/typography/illustration/comic strip/photography) - email warsaniselsewhere@gmail.com

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Everything Afghanistan: Ethnic Groups of Afghanistan

watanafghanistan:

Afghanistan is a loosily knit conglomeration of number of ethnic groups, chief of whom are Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. These ehtnic groups have obvious dissimilarity, despite collectively residing in the region for hundreds of years. These ethnic groups of Afghanistan have their…

Just in case you’re interested…

watanafghanistan:

Kandahari Khamak Embroidery, Kandahar Treasure. 

“Khamak, an intricate form of embroidery, is worked in silk thread and is a trademark of Kandahar. Girls learn this ancient art form at an early age and continue to do it throughout their lives. Inspired by complex Islamic geometric patterns, Khamak is unique to Kandahar and is considered by art experts to be one of the world’s finest embroidery techniques. It is traditionally used to decorate the striking, floor-length shawls worn by Southern Afghan men, as well as table linen, women’s head-coverings, and girls’ wedding trousseaus. The practice of Khamak involves counting the threads of the fabric weave (hence cotton and linen are the best raw materials for this embroidery) in order to stitch geometric shapes with silk-thread. The work is done in a sitting position with the embroidery positioned on the top of a bended knee.” [x]