A FILM REVIEW ADDICTED IN AFGHANISTAN (JAWED TAIMAN, UNITED KINGDOM, 2009)

Brothers in Arms: the failure of guidance in Jawed Taiman’s Addicted in Afghanistan

Addicted in Afghanistan is an observational, ethnographic documentary that was shot in 2009 at the peak of American military occupation. The story is a poignant, at times disturbing, tale of a pair of best friends battling addiction together. The director, along with his camera crew, befriends Jabar and Zahir and  their families to try and provide insights on the life of the addicted in the largest narco-state in the world. The director sheds light on the all-encompassing macro issue of drug trade that accounted for 62% of the country’s GDP in 2003, determined the fate of foreign rule and contributed to the establishment of the Taliban government twice. The filmmakers herald the responsibility of accurately depicting the status of 10% of the Afghan population that remain addicted to heroin, opium and other hard drugs. As an ethnographic film–  the filmmakers have had to take the consent of those being filmed– it provides a snippet into the lives of the so-called golden generation that has been destroyed and mentally corrupted by their early exposure to drugs.

Afghanistan became a theater for Cold War politics in 1979 when the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) invaded the country to install a communist friendly government. It soon resulted in the official demise of détente (relaxation of tensions) and an invasion by the United States of America (USA) adamant on reversing its failure in Saigon. Eventually, the Americans funded the Mujahideen, or disparate militia rebels, who would stand up to their common enemy, namely, the puppet communist regime backed by the USSR. However, it unleashed a monster in the creation of the Taliban which won the civil war in 1996. How is drug trade significant in shaping the plight of the country? It cannot be ignored that under American military occupation the profitable poppy flower began to act as a major source of funds. This meant a growing dependency on opium and heroin trade to continue American occupation, a paradox in the truest sense. The 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil did not help the Afghan cause as it facilitated the George W. Bush presidency to ship $70 million dollars to mobilize the American war effort in Afghanistan. The US military juggernaut failed to curtail the expansion of the Taliban due to their inability to control the heroin and opium trade. The Americans performed what was the second act of its involvement in Vietnam by pulling out of Afghanistan in 2021, a catastrophe resulting in the return of a rejuvenated Taliban. The Taliban as a radical Islamist terrorist organization had banned the consumption of drugs which is considered a sin under the Islam. But reports from the United Nations have proved that drug trade remains booming under their rule.

To understand the significance of the documentary, delving into the historical context is essential. Through the lens of two teenagers the extent of the issue is highlighted as the filmmaker cuts between interview footage and the desert like terrain of Charai Qambar, numerous shanty towns and the remnants of colonial architecture. The film was shot over a period of a year where Jabar and Zahir dabble in and out of their rehab center based in Kabul but relapse more often than recover. Their domestic lives are fraught with difficulties—poverty, lack of educational opportunities, unhappy homes and the terrorizing sound of warplanes looming over their heads.

Addicted in Afghanistan begins with a panoramic shot of a bustling Kabul. It then focuses on a showman who entertains kids. He uses his collection of Hot Wheels (miniature cars) to depict a drug chase explaining the cruelty of the police, the malice of the middleman and the flighty thief carrying tonnes of drugs in his deceptive school bag. “I get them addicted to this drug story,” he laughs while muttering that he does not believe in politics while all children eagerly look on. Brothers in arms, Jabar and Zahir navigate life together. Jabar was sixteen and already addicted for eight years when the documentary was filmed. This implies that hard drugs were easily available to children of all ages. Jabar’s parents were also addicted but refused to seek any treatment. The conventional relationship between an adult, who acts as a guardian and a protector, and a child are corrupted when children and adults smoke contraband together in a dilapidated Russian Cultural House. The availability of drugs along with the psychological impact of three decades of war trauma has led children to substance abuse. Acute poverty is a major factor as well. We are stunned to see Jabar’s family live in a tent that is loosely held up. Zahir and his large family occupy one room, who’s windows are covered in plastic sheets dotted with holes as glass is too expensive. Jabar and Zahir represent two different outcomes of addiction—the former is the troubled antagonist who understands the complexities of governance and how it is culpable in his addiction at a young age while the latter tries his level best to beat the problem at hand for the sake of his family. It is revealed at the end of the documentary that both friends remain addicted, having threatened to leave home multiple times.

Addicted in Afghanistan stays with the viewer. It manages to encapsulate a sense of hopelessness and despair—in the eyes of Jabar, their mothers, the determined doctor hoping they get better or the social worker who laments the loss of another generation. One telling fact comes alive frighteningly upon viewing the documentary: the age groups struggling with the devastation brought upon by drugs range from fifteen to sixty-four, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. This is evident through the shared nature of the activity of consumption of drugs. The role of military occupation cannot be ignored either. The anti-colonial sentiment is rife among the youth. In a cinematic fashion, Jabar looks on towards Kabul from a hill, reminiscing about his childhood and narrating how if the “foreigners stopped exporting drugs”, his addiction would disappear. He, like other young rebellious teenagers, were of the opinion in 2009 that the return of the Taliban would ensure a stop to drug exports. It was a desperate, if not dangerous belief to harbour. Nonetheless, it existed.

Asef Bayat’s “Life as Politics” talks about how social protests of the youth, urban poor and women in West Asia can be considered examples of social non-movements. A social non-movement is tailored to the geographical region, exiting from the Western dominated definitions of social movements. It represents different social entities through a variety of aims. The social non-movement of the youth is born through the struggles of the Afghan youth with addiction. It aims to reclaim youthfulness by expanding its habitat. This non-movement is confined to urban areas. A potential omission of this documentary is the state of addiction in rural areas.

Afghanistan is considered a melting pot of different ethnicities, factions and cultures which means that rural areas are often fragmented and disturbed. The concentration of the documentary on urban areas excludes potential discourse on the role of social factors in addiction. The urban poor and rural poor gravely differ—in their mannerisms, concerns and opportunities. Private rehab centres remain out of the ambit of affordability for the urban poor but for the rural population even a government rehab centre is inaccessible. Addicted in Afghanistan delivers a gut punch in putting forward a stellar piece of archival history even if it only explains a singular facet. The film, both powerful and insightful, is credited with having spawned serious conversations on the rampant problem of addiction in Afghanistan and is considered a valuable piece of evidence of failure of the American intervention.

Shreya Datta

Intern, Asia in Global Affairs

REFERENCES:

1. Taiman, Jawed; 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0fNGaHRYY
2. McCoy, W, Alfred, 2018, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jan/09/how-the-heroin-trade-explains-the-us-uk-failure-in-afghanistan

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this film review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Asia in Global Affairs. The review is intended for academic and informational purposes only. It is not an endorsement of any particular viewpoint, nor is it intended to malign any individual, group, organization, company, or government.