(Image Wiki)
I usually have trouble getting Triond to find suitable images for my articles but this time the subject of my topic came right up!
An Afghan Girl dressed in red with bright green eyes stares at you from the front Cover of The National Geographic, June 1985. The image was taken by Steve McCurry to highlight the Afghan conflict and the refugee situation and is now the most recognised image in the world.
Sharbat Gula is from the Pashtun Afghan tribe. She was living near Peshawar in Pakistan as a refugee after being orphaned in 1984 following the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan. There are no records to tell how old she was but roughly twelve years old when the photo was taken. Her identity had remained a mystery until 2002.
Many women came forward claiming to be ‘The Afghan Girl’ after the photograph became famous. In the 90s Gula was found using iris pattern technology. She was found to be living in the mountains of Afghanistan and married with three children. Her husband Rahmut Gul said that the couple married in her early teens. She spends her time between the city and the mountains caring for her children. She can write but she cannot read.
The photograph has intrigued and captivated western audiences ever since it first appeared on the cover of The National Geographic. The magazine set up a charity known as The Afghan Girl’s Fund. In 2002 a documentary featuring Gula was made.
Gula is aptly named ‘The Afghan Mona Lisa.’ It is undoubtedly her beauty and strong features which have made her such a memorable face, and such an icon for war and poverty. Her haunting expression speaks volumes of war torn Afghanistan, in a way that no article could manage to achieve.
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