June 26, 2024 • 27 mins
Aryana Sayeed is doubling down on her life in Kabul while all around her, the Taliban are closing in.
...
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Previously on Afghan Star, a suicide bomb kills seven employees
at Sad's company.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The bomb was placed in a taxi which then crashed
into the minibus and definated this bomb and of course
killed himself along with our colleagues.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Leaving Sod questioning if he should shut the company down.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
It's not worth one life. What if what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
After the Taliban attack, Sod MUSSENI considered shutting everything down,
taking Afghan Star off the air. He can't stomach the
idea of having his employees targeted again. But then he
turns up to the office and the entire staff they're
all there waiting. They're unafraid. They want to take on
(01:12):
the Taliban and they want him to lead them into battle.
But Sad knows if he's going to win this cultural war,
he needs more firepower than just his staff alone, so
he goes to talk to his biggest star. Ariana said
one of the judges on Afghanstar and Afghanistan's most popular musician.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
And I really felt for her because I think she
was pretty much a prisoner in cobble. She couldn't venture out.
She can go and see things, she can go to
the bazaars.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Since the suicide bombing, Ariana has been in hiding, stuck
inside the Tolo TV compound for her own protection.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
And I was not even allowed to stay in a
hotel anymore because things were getting so hard a security vice.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
As the country's most visible pop star and feminist, Ariana
represents everything the extremists a horror. Sad and his team
want to make sure she's protected, so they up the
security around her take more precautions, but every day Ariana
is faced with new threats to her life.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I found out that this religious TV channel is holding
a show where they would each week they would actually
invite a priest and they would get this priest to
talk about me for I don't know, half an hour,
forty minutes or whatever it was, every week on Thursdays.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
This went on for weeks, and then on one episode
they invited a whole group of clerics onto the show
and they delivered a unified message.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
They actually sat on this TV show that my head
should be cut off and whoever that cuts off my
head and brings it to them, they'll go to heaven.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
They told viewers it was their duty to find Ariana,
cut off her head and bring it to them.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Just think, oh my god, I just got chills.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
To Ariana, her prospects feel dire. If she somehow avoids
being beheaded, there's still a high chance that the Taliban
will send a suicide bomber to take her out.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
They were doing a lot of suicide bombings every day.
Every single day, there would be an explosion somewhere and
cobble and lots of people would die.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
So it's this context in which Sad approaches Ariana. He
feels guilty asking her to do more. She's already done
so much, inspired countless women and musicians across the country,
but he knows he needs her. He's going to keep
the Taliban and their oppressive ideas at bay.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Then I sat down on a quote about it. I'm
the one sitting here giving all these women in Afghanistan
so much hope. And if I give up myself and
I get scared and I run away, that's not the
right thing to do.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Her friends and family have begged her to come back
to London wear it's safe, but she refuses. She stays
because Afghanistan needs her, Afghan Star needs her, and most importantly,
the next generation of Afghan women need her, and she's
(04:44):
determined to help them find their voice.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I have accepted death to be honest with you, but
I didn't want to accept defeat.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
I'm John Legend and from Kaleidoscope and iHeart This is Afghanstar,
(05:20):
Chapter one, The New Normal. While Ariana spends her time
in front of the camera, joyfully performing and speaking out
for a certain type of freedom, her own life has
become small and the studio lot has become a cage.
(05:46):
Unable to roam cobble during daylight, she spends most of
her time in a guest room inside the compound, only
venturing out to record the show for us.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
The only way to be able to court the show
was to do it during the night, because this is
when the government was able to send soldiers for our protection.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Each night, the street fills with big tanks and soldiers
standing guard to protect Ariana and her colleagues.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
We had security guards everywhere. Every couple of meters there
was a security guard with big guns standing there because
we were so scared of suicide bummers.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It's eerie. The judges, the contestants, the production staff, all
of these people making their way to the studio in
the dark under the cover of night. And what's even
stranger is that for the first time ever, they are
doing this show without a live audience.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And the only person in the audience was my fiance
I remember he was the only one to do the club.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
They're taping in an empty auditorium.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
But it was beautiful at the same time because I
knew that I was making an impact through the TV stations,
music and entertainment and all this was basically giving people hope.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Hope that although the Taliban is clawing their way back
and coordinating more attacks and cobble, there are still people
standing guard at the doors of the new Afghanistan.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
For pop culture fans the world over, singers on stage
competing to become their country's next music sensation is a
familiar scene, but here on the set of Afghanistar, pursuing
that dream could get them killed.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Pop stars and producers willing to give their lives to
protect what their beloved country has taken twenty years to reclaim.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
The hope is the biggest headline of this season will
simply be the most ordinary. The suspense over who becomes
the next Afghan Star.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
We cannot let them win, We cannot let the darkness
you know, come overs again. We have to fight back.
We have to fight back with music, and that's our tool.
That's how we can fight.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Chapter two proteges. The next season, season twelve, is received
really well. For the first time ever, A rapper wins
Afghan Star Thirst Days.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
I meanin Sanaisa Taurin, Sanaiko, Sabra Poscha ol Man Poet.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
People old and young across the nation have voted for
an entirely new type of music, as they do asda
Man s. But it's a couple of years later, in
twenty nineteen that something unbelievable happens. This season, Ariana has
(10:05):
been coaching two female contestants, Sadika and Zara.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Obviously, there was scheduled times for us to spend what
the rest of the contestants, but I would actually give
these two girls extra time of myself.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Ariana is patient with them. I've done this with contestants
on the Voice. I helped them with their songs, their repertoire,
even their clothes. But there's one key difference in what
Ariana does, something I definitely cannot relate to, because she
has to spend her time soothing them and guiding them
(10:41):
through the backlash they are facing, and that backlash was intense.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
They were in the middle of basically like a battlefield.
There was days where they will feel really down and
they would be on the urge of giving up because
of the things that they were hearing from people, or
the pressure that they had from their families and so on.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Every time they perform, they're attacked by keyboard warriors calling
them worthless whores, war lords threatening to kill them. Anonymous
phone calls saying they know where the two women live
and threatening to throw acid in their faces.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I remember them sharing things like, oh, their uncles or
their aunt or their relatives have cut ties with them.
They send the messages and call them and say, hey,
you are ashamed to the name of our family. And
their brothers would threaten them that I will kill you.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But the two women stand firm. This is how much
music means to them. Sadika makes it all the way
to the top seven before she's eliminated, but Zara she
actually gets to the final. It's just her and one
(12:04):
guy left and tonight it's the grand finale of season
fourteen of Afghanistar and judge Arianna Said is standing on
stage next to Zara.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Zara was being grave and I was there standing by
her side, holding her hand, providing her moral and emotional support.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Since the attack three years ago, audiences have been invited
back for live shows. So tonight, Ariana stares into the arena.
She sees guards dotted around the place carrying kalashnakovs, but
there are also fans staring back at her, cheering big
smiles on their faces.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Maney audience members and a member are actually chaunting the
name of the male contestant.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Zara does a duet with her opponent was or recorded
to or.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
BROI.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Then Ariana performs.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
The lambayo. The two booms.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
John ac.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Old contestants come up one by one. It's and then
the lights down. They've patted the episode enough. It's time
(14:16):
to announce the winner. Out of the corner of her eye,
Ariana sees Zara take a breath now Wanaka yes, but
he saw that yes, and tilt her head back to
stare up at the ceiling.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I was probably as nervous as Zara herself, and maybe more.
I was as nervous as I've ever been on the
stage or while recording a TV show.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
The tension is excruciating and then they announced it but
in board y.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I think I screamed and when I heard her name
and I just held her in my arms and I
gave her a tight hat.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Red and gold confetti rains from the ceiling on top
of Ariana and Zara and they both dropped to the floor.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
It was the most amazing feeling to be standing there
and witnessing a female winning the Afghan Star for the
first time ever. It was just beautiful and I felt
so much joy I actually felt like a winner myself.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Zara Elham is crowned the winner of Afghan Stars. It's
twenty nineteen and look how far Afghan Star has come.
It's no longer this fly by night operation shot in
(16:21):
a dingy hotel with lighting fit for a middle school
talent show. It's so much bigger now, it's modern, it's
cool and Tonight in some ways is the pinnacle of
everything the creators of the show have been trying to achieve,
because after thirteen seasons, Afghan Star has its very first
(16:43):
female winner. Zara takes her trophy and lifts the microphone
to her lifts she says, tonight, all the women in Afghanistan,
Well if no more.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
That's it by don't amasa asa sha, don't amsha m
it class that's I'm let me chash me say I
am by no. So that's it by Amisia.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
That's it by Amzia. We have obviously made a tremendous
amount of progress in twenty years, and I was thinking,
(17:43):
if we go with that kind of speed for another
twenty years, we would slowly be able to catch up
with the rest of the world. Of course, a lot
needed to be done, but I was thinking Afghanistan was
finally headed in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Hey, it's John Legend. If you've been listening, you already
know that Afghan Star is a tale of resistance and hope.
For fifteen years, Afghan Star was a beacon, but when
the Taliban returned to power, they shut the show down
along with so many Afghan rights. They banned music education
(18:29):
for girls and women, and they continue to clamp down
on everyone's freedoms. But there are ways to show your support.
We've teamed up with Awa Studios and their incredible graphic
artists to illustrate some of the most extraordinary moments in
this podcast. There is a unique print for each episode,
(18:51):
bringing to life powerful moments that are moving and inspiring.
And there's an unforgettable print based on a painting from
Superstar artist Raza that represents the spirit of hope embodied
by the show. Art and music have the power to
uplift us all, and ordering a work for yourself or
(19:13):
as a gift help support Afghans. With every purchase, we'll
be donating to the Nore Initiative, a nonprofit working to
ensure that every Afghan girl has access to education and opportunity.
For more information on our collaboration with AWA, the artworks
available to listeners, and to learn more about the Nere
(19:37):
Initiative's efforts to educate, support independent media, and transform lives
across the region, head to the link in our show
notes below, chapter three, The Most Glamorous Escape. After that season,
(20:01):
Ariana joins a spin off show called Superstar, and while
she works on that, she builds her own business.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
When the show finished, I decided to actually launch my
clothing brand in Afghanistan. I had the choice to launch
my brand somewhere else in England or in Turkey or anywhere,
but I decided to do it in Afghanistan because I
wanted to invest my money there. Because I thought, that's
a country where they need this to happen.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Ariana is optimistic about the fate of the country. She
plans to build a store right in the heart of Kabo.
She's doing live shows again. Things are going well, but
the situation in the rest of the country is deteriorating.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan since early May, when the
(20:52):
militants launch a sweeping offensive as US led foreign forces
began their final withdrawal.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Overnight, multiple rockets were fired on Kabo Airport in new attack.
Taliban insurgents have over run dozens of districts in several provinces.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Civilian casualties are renoc course prize, and hundreds of thousands
are being continused from their homes. But Ariana thinks the
Taliban have been saying they're about to take over for years.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I was thinking, no, this is just impossible that Taliban
would take over because we have a solid government, Our
soldiers have been trained by the US for the past
twenty years, and there's no way that a few thousands
of Taliban members would just come and take an entire
country so easily.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And so she keeps working and on July fourteenth, twenty
twenty one, she launches her brand. There's a party, She's happy,
it's a big success. But then over the next couple
of weeks she starts getting these calls from her friends.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I remember when they said to me, oh, they just
captured Herat.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
On the outskirts of Harat, Afghanistan's third biggest city, government
forces try to hold off the Taliban.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Out the like what.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
The Americans are pulling their forces out of Afghanistan and
are now saying by August they will be gone.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Taliban forces are wasting no time in trying to seize
as much of the country as they can.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
The Afghan military told us coordinated Taliban offensives are ongoing
in twenty provinces across the country. Ariana's friends are telling
her that Taliban have just captured these big provinces. We
don't think this is the same as before. We think
they're going to come and take the capitol.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
I thought maybe these provinces were not strong enough when
they couldn't cope with Taliban. But there's no way Taliban
would be able to gain power and kubble, and so
I stayed behind. Then I continued with my work.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And then on August fourteenth, she gets another call.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Saying that there is the risk of Taliban taking over Kobol,
telling me to get out of Afghanistan because they were
obviously watching the news and they were really scared for
my life.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
But Ariana isn't taking the warnings seriously.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
In one propaganda video, they claim to be in control
of the road to Kabble, saying they're allowing government forces
who surrender to pass.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Even when we heard the whisper from people that they're
almost capturing kabul I. At first I thought, no, that's impossible.
My heart would never accept it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And so she keeps going. It's now the morning of
August fifteenth, and Ariana is already in her hair and
makeup in her hotel room, getting ready to shoot the
video for her new song. She's chilling in her chair
for a couple of hours play out her mood, getting
in the zone while her hair and makeup team is
working on her. But just when they finished applying the
(24:07):
last stroke of eyeshadow and setting the final stray hair
into place, we.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Hear this news of Taliban into Cobol.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Ariana, her hairstylist and makeup artists rushed to the window
of the hotel room.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
My hairdresser and makeup artists. They went pale and they
were so scared, and I remember me and my manager Hassi,
telling them to just take it easy, calm down, and
that people drop them to their homes before things got worse.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Ariana gets dressed and heads downstairs to the hotel lobby.
When she gets there, she sees something strange.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
I saw all the security guards taking their uniforms off.
They were all in Afghany traditional clothes. None of them
were wearing any pants. You could see no pans and
no suits and no uniform anymore.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
And that's when it hits her. The Taliban are back.
There's no one standing in their way, and Arianna knows
she's at the top of their kill list. She rushes
back upstairs and changes into a job.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
We were in a hurry. We had to head to
the airport, so I took a video of myself in
the car telling them that I'm heading to the airport
and everything is okay, don't worry, blah blah blah. And
then one of my sister's messages mean what's up, saying Ariana,
why do you have so much makeup on your face.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
She didn't have time to take her video shoot makeup off,
so she's in full glam fleeing from the taliban.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I guess it was the most glamorous running for your
life ever.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, that's next time on Afghan Star. Afghan Star is
(26:27):
a Kaleidoscope production in collaboration with iHeart Podcasts, produced by
samas dot Audio and hosted by me John Legard from
samas dot Audio. The series producer is Mira Kumar. Our
executive producers are Joe Sikes and Dasha Lissitsina. Mix and
(26:53):
sound designed by Jeff Imptman. Story editing by Joe Sikes,
with original composition by Kyle Murdoch. Recording engineer Tim McClain.
Chapter artwork by AWA Studios from Kaleidoscope. The executive producers
are Kate Osborne, Mengesh Hatikadur Oz Volisian and Costas Linos
(27:17):
from iHeart. The executive producers are Ali Perry and Katrina Norvel.
Social Media by Darra Potts and vaheiny Shori. Special thanks
to Tom Freston, Lizzie Jacobs, Will Pearson, Carrie Lieberman, Niki Etore,
Bob Pittman, John Sikes, Connell, Byrne, Sad Mussenni and the
(27:40):
Mossenni family, Matthew Anderson and Axo Alonzo
Previously on Afghan Star, a suicide bomb kills seven employees
at Sad's company.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The bomb was placed in a taxi which then crashed
into the minibus and definated this bomb and of course
killed himself along with our colleagues.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Leaving Sod questioning if he should shut the company down.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
It's not worth one life. What if what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
After the Taliban attack, Sod MUSSENI considered shutting everything down,
taking Afghan Star off the air. He can't stomach the
idea of having his employees targeted again. But then he
turns up to the office and the entire staff they're
all there waiting. They're unafraid. They want to take on
(01:12):
the Taliban and they want him to lead them into battle.
But Sad knows if he's going to win this cultural war,
he needs more firepower than just his staff alone, so
he goes to talk to his biggest star. Ariana said
one of the judges on Afghanstar and Afghanistan's most popular musician.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
And I really felt for her because I think she
was pretty much a prisoner in cobble. She couldn't venture out.
She can go and see things, she can go to
the bazaars.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Since the suicide bombing, Ariana has been in hiding, stuck
inside the Tolo TV compound for her own protection.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
And I was not even allowed to stay in a
hotel anymore because things were getting so hard a security vice.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
As the country's most visible pop star and feminist, Ariana
represents everything the extremists a horror. Sad and his team
want to make sure she's protected, so they up the
security around her take more precautions, but every day Ariana
is faced with new threats to her life.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I found out that this religious TV channel is holding
a show where they would each week they would actually
invite a priest and they would get this priest to
talk about me for I don't know, half an hour,
forty minutes or whatever it was, every week on Thursdays.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
This went on for weeks, and then on one episode
they invited a whole group of clerics onto the show
and they delivered a unified message.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
They actually sat on this TV show that my head
should be cut off and whoever that cuts off my
head and brings it to them, they'll go to heaven.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
They told viewers it was their duty to find Ariana,
cut off her head and bring it to them.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Just think, oh my god, I just got chills.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
To Ariana, her prospects feel dire. If she somehow avoids
being beheaded, there's still a high chance that the Taliban
will send a suicide bomber to take her out.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
They were doing a lot of suicide bombings every day.
Every single day, there would be an explosion somewhere and
cobble and lots of people would die.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
So it's this context in which Sad approaches Ariana. He
feels guilty asking her to do more. She's already done
so much, inspired countless women and musicians across the country,
but he knows he needs her. He's going to keep
the Taliban and their oppressive ideas at bay.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Then I sat down on a quote about it. I'm
the one sitting here giving all these women in Afghanistan
so much hope. And if I give up myself and
I get scared and I run away, that's not the
right thing to do.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Her friends and family have begged her to come back
to London wear it's safe, but she refuses. She stays
because Afghanistan needs her, Afghan Star needs her, and most importantly,
the next generation of Afghan women need her, and she's
(04:44):
determined to help them find their voice.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I have accepted death to be honest with you, but
I didn't want to accept defeat.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
I'm John Legend and from Kaleidoscope and iHeart This is Afghanstar,
(05:20):
Chapter one, The New Normal. While Ariana spends her time
in front of the camera, joyfully performing and speaking out
for a certain type of freedom, her own life has
become small and the studio lot has become a cage.
(05:46):
Unable to roam cobble during daylight, she spends most of
her time in a guest room inside the compound, only
venturing out to record the show for us.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
The only way to be able to court the show
was to do it during the night, because this is
when the government was able to send soldiers for our protection.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Each night, the street fills with big tanks and soldiers
standing guard to protect Ariana and her colleagues.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
We had security guards everywhere. Every couple of meters there
was a security guard with big guns standing there because
we were so scared of suicide bummers.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It's eerie. The judges, the contestants, the production staff, all
of these people making their way to the studio in
the dark under the cover of night. And what's even
stranger is that for the first time ever, they are
doing this show without a live audience.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And the only person in the audience was my fiance
I remember he was the only one to do the club.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
They're taping in an empty auditorium.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
But it was beautiful at the same time because I
knew that I was making an impact through the TV stations,
music and entertainment and all this was basically giving people hope.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Hope that although the Taliban is clawing their way back
and coordinating more attacks and cobble, there are still people
standing guard at the doors of the new Afghanistan.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
For pop culture fans the world over, singers on stage
competing to become their country's next music sensation is a
familiar scene, but here on the set of Afghanistar, pursuing
that dream could get them killed.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Pop stars and producers willing to give their lives to
protect what their beloved country has taken twenty years to reclaim.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
The hope is the biggest headline of this season will
simply be the most ordinary. The suspense over who becomes
the next Afghan Star.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
We cannot let them win, We cannot let the darkness
you know, come overs again. We have to fight back.
We have to fight back with music, and that's our tool.
That's how we can fight.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Chapter two proteges. The next season, season twelve, is received
really well. For the first time ever, A rapper wins
Afghan Star Thirst Days.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
I meanin Sanaisa Taurin, Sanaiko, Sabra Poscha ol Man Poet.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
People old and young across the nation have voted for
an entirely new type of music, as they do asda
Man s. But it's a couple of years later, in
twenty nineteen that something unbelievable happens. This season, Ariana has
(10:05):
been coaching two female contestants, Sadika and Zara.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Obviously, there was scheduled times for us to spend what
the rest of the contestants, but I would actually give
these two girls extra time of myself.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Ariana is patient with them. I've done this with contestants
on the Voice. I helped them with their songs, their repertoire,
even their clothes. But there's one key difference in what
Ariana does, something I definitely cannot relate to, because she
has to spend her time soothing them and guiding them
(10:41):
through the backlash they are facing, and that backlash was intense.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
They were in the middle of basically like a battlefield.
There was days where they will feel really down and
they would be on the urge of giving up because
of the things that they were hearing from people, or
the pressure that they had from their families and so on.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Every time they perform, they're attacked by keyboard warriors calling
them worthless whores, war lords threatening to kill them. Anonymous
phone calls saying they know where the two women live
and threatening to throw acid in their faces.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I remember them sharing things like, oh, their uncles or
their aunt or their relatives have cut ties with them.
They send the messages and call them and say, hey,
you are ashamed to the name of our family. And
their brothers would threaten them that I will kill you.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But the two women stand firm. This is how much
music means to them. Sadika makes it all the way
to the top seven before she's eliminated, but Zara she
actually gets to the final. It's just her and one
(12:04):
guy left and tonight it's the grand finale of season
fourteen of Afghanistar and judge Arianna Said is standing on
stage next to Zara.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Zara was being grave and I was there standing by
her side, holding her hand, providing her moral and emotional support.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Since the attack three years ago, audiences have been invited
back for live shows. So tonight, Ariana stares into the arena.
She sees guards dotted around the place carrying kalashnakovs, but
there are also fans staring back at her, cheering big
smiles on their faces.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Maney audience members and a member are actually chaunting the
name of the male contestant.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Zara does a duet with her opponent was or recorded
to or.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
BROI.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Then Ariana performs.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
The lambayo. The two booms.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
John ac.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Old contestants come up one by one. It's and then
the lights down. They've patted the episode enough. It's time
(14:16):
to announce the winner. Out of the corner of her eye,
Ariana sees Zara take a breath now Wanaka yes, but
he saw that yes, and tilt her head back to
stare up at the ceiling.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I was probably as nervous as Zara herself, and maybe more.
I was as nervous as I've ever been on the
stage or while recording a TV show.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
The tension is excruciating and then they announced it but
in board y.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I think I screamed and when I heard her name
and I just held her in my arms and I
gave her a tight hat.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Red and gold confetti rains from the ceiling on top
of Ariana and Zara and they both dropped to the floor.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
It was the most amazing feeling to be standing there
and witnessing a female winning the Afghan Star for the
first time ever. It was just beautiful and I felt
so much joy I actually felt like a winner myself.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Zara Elham is crowned the winner of Afghan Stars. It's
twenty nineteen and look how far Afghan Star has come.
It's no longer this fly by night operation shot in
(16:21):
a dingy hotel with lighting fit for a middle school
talent show. It's so much bigger now, it's modern, it's
cool and Tonight in some ways is the pinnacle of
everything the creators of the show have been trying to achieve,
because after thirteen seasons, Afghan Star has its very first
(16:43):
female winner. Zara takes her trophy and lifts the microphone
to her lifts she says, tonight, all the women in Afghanistan,
Well if no more.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
That's it by don't amasa asa sha, don't amsha m
it class that's I'm let me chash me say I
am by no. So that's it by Amisia.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
That's it by Amzia. We have obviously made a tremendous
amount of progress in twenty years, and I was thinking,
(17:43):
if we go with that kind of speed for another
twenty years, we would slowly be able to catch up
with the rest of the world. Of course, a lot
needed to be done, but I was thinking Afghanistan was
finally headed in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Hey, it's John Legend. If you've been listening, you already
know that Afghan Star is a tale of resistance and hope.
For fifteen years, Afghan Star was a beacon, but when
the Taliban returned to power, they shut the show down
along with so many Afghan rights. They banned music education
(18:29):
for girls and women, and they continue to clamp down
on everyone's freedoms. But there are ways to show your support.
We've teamed up with Awa Studios and their incredible graphic
artists to illustrate some of the most extraordinary moments in
this podcast. There is a unique print for each episode,
(18:51):
bringing to life powerful moments that are moving and inspiring.
And there's an unforgettable print based on a painting from
Superstar artist Raza that represents the spirit of hope embodied
by the show. Art and music have the power to
uplift us all, and ordering a work for yourself or
(19:13):
as a gift help support Afghans. With every purchase, we'll
be donating to the Nore Initiative, a nonprofit working to
ensure that every Afghan girl has access to education and opportunity.
For more information on our collaboration with AWA, the artworks
available to listeners, and to learn more about the Nere
(19:37):
Initiative's efforts to educate, support independent media, and transform lives
across the region, head to the link in our show
notes below, chapter three, The Most Glamorous Escape. After that season,
(20:01):
Ariana joins a spin off show called Superstar, and while
she works on that, she builds her own business.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
When the show finished, I decided to actually launch my
clothing brand in Afghanistan. I had the choice to launch
my brand somewhere else in England or in Turkey or anywhere,
but I decided to do it in Afghanistan because I
wanted to invest my money there. Because I thought, that's
a country where they need this to happen.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Ariana is optimistic about the fate of the country. She
plans to build a store right in the heart of Kabo.
She's doing live shows again. Things are going well, but
the situation in the rest of the country is deteriorating.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan since early May, when the
(20:52):
militants launch a sweeping offensive as US led foreign forces
began their final withdrawal.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Overnight, multiple rockets were fired on Kabo Airport in new attack.
Taliban insurgents have over run dozens of districts in several provinces.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Civilian casualties are renoc course prize, and hundreds of thousands
are being continused from their homes. But Ariana thinks the
Taliban have been saying they're about to take over for years.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I was thinking, no, this is just impossible that Taliban
would take over because we have a solid government, Our
soldiers have been trained by the US for the past
twenty years, and there's no way that a few thousands
of Taliban members would just come and take an entire
country so easily.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And so she keeps working and on July fourteenth, twenty
twenty one, she launches her brand. There's a party, She's happy,
it's a big success. But then over the next couple
of weeks she starts getting these calls from her friends.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I remember when they said to me, oh, they just
captured Herat.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
On the outskirts of Harat, Afghanistan's third biggest city, government
forces try to hold off the Taliban.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Out the like what.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
The Americans are pulling their forces out of Afghanistan and
are now saying by August they will be gone.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Taliban forces are wasting no time in trying to seize
as much of the country as they can.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
The Afghan military told us coordinated Taliban offensives are ongoing
in twenty provinces across the country. Ariana's friends are telling
her that Taliban have just captured these big provinces. We
don't think this is the same as before. We think
they're going to come and take the capitol.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
I thought maybe these provinces were not strong enough when
they couldn't cope with Taliban. But there's no way Taliban
would be able to gain power and kubble, and so
I stayed behind. Then I continued with my work.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And then on August fourteenth, she gets another call.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Saying that there is the risk of Taliban taking over Kobol,
telling me to get out of Afghanistan because they were
obviously watching the news and they were really scared for
my life.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
But Ariana isn't taking the warnings seriously.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
In one propaganda video, they claim to be in control
of the road to Kabble, saying they're allowing government forces
who surrender to pass.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Even when we heard the whisper from people that they're
almost capturing kabul I. At first I thought, no, that's impossible.
My heart would never accept it.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And so she keeps going. It's now the morning of
August fifteenth, and Ariana is already in her hair and
makeup in her hotel room, getting ready to shoot the
video for her new song. She's chilling in her chair
for a couple of hours play out her mood, getting
in the zone while her hair and makeup team is
working on her. But just when they finished applying the
(24:07):
last stroke of eyeshadow and setting the final stray hair
into place, we.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Hear this news of Taliban into Cobol.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Ariana, her hairstylist and makeup artists rushed to the window
of the hotel room.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
My hairdresser and makeup artists. They went pale and they
were so scared, and I remember me and my manager Hassi,
telling them to just take it easy, calm down, and
that people drop them to their homes before things got worse.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Ariana gets dressed and heads downstairs to the hotel lobby.
When she gets there, she sees something strange.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
I saw all the security guards taking their uniforms off.
They were all in Afghany traditional clothes. None of them
were wearing any pants. You could see no pans and
no suits and no uniform anymore.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
And that's when it hits her. The Taliban are back.
There's no one standing in their way, and Arianna knows
she's at the top of their kill list. She rushes
back upstairs and changes into a job.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
We were in a hurry. We had to head to
the airport, so I took a video of myself in
the car telling them that I'm heading to the airport
and everything is okay, don't worry, blah blah blah. And
then one of my sister's messages mean what's up, saying Ariana,
why do you have so much makeup on your face.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
She didn't have time to take her video shoot makeup off,
so she's in full glam fleeing from the taliban.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I guess it was the most glamorous running for your
life ever.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, that's next time on Afghan Star. Afghan Star is
(26:27):
a Kaleidoscope production in collaboration with iHeart Podcasts, produced by
samas dot Audio and hosted by me John Legard from
samas dot Audio. The series producer is Mira Kumar. Our
executive producers are Joe Sikes and Dasha Lissitsina. Mix and
(26:53):
sound designed by Jeff Imptman. Story editing by Joe Sikes,
with original composition by Kyle Murdoch. Recording engineer Tim McClain.
Chapter artwork by AWA Studios from Kaleidoscope. The executive producers
are Kate Osborne, Mengesh Hatikadur Oz Volisian and Costas Linos
(27:17):
from iHeart. The executive producers are Ali Perry and Katrina Norvel.
Social Media by Darra Potts and vaheiny Shori. Special thanks
to Tom Freston, Lizzie Jacobs, Will Pearson, Carrie Lieberman, Niki Etore,
Bob Pittman, John Sikes, Connell, Byrne, Sad Mussenni and the
(27:40):
Mossenni family, Matthew Anderson and Axo Alonzo
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