From stage to day labour: Afghan musicians live on loans after music ban

The ban on music imposed by the ا.ا.ا in Afghanistan has left many singers and musicians in severe financial hardship. In a report published on Sunday, media shared the stories of several artists who say their income disappeared once music was banned and that they now borrow money to support their families.

Zia Sahar, a 35-year-old singer who, according to the report, has three children with thalassaemia, told the media he had tried many kinds of work but had not succeeded in any other trade after spending decades in music, and that his family now lives on loans.

Another singer in Nangarhar, who asked not to be named, said he now works in a barber's shop and earns no more than 100 afghanis a day. A rubab player who said he had recently returned from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed he started selling vegetables from a handcart in Jalalabad, but municipal workers confiscated it twice.

The artists are asking to be allowed at least small, simple music programmes without loudspeakers. However, ا.ا.ا spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has previously said music is forbidden and that no one in Afghanistan will be allowed to play it. Media reports noted that some religious scholars say music is a disputed issue among schools of Islamic thought. Unofficial estimates put the number of singers and musicians in Afghanistan at around 20,000.