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100 People 100 Places

To celebrate the release of my first book, Dispatches from the Kabul Café, I’ll be releasing a series of shorter dispatches introducing some of the people and places I encountered during my times in Afghanistan. 100 People, 100 Places are short, personal insights into Afghanistan (and sometimes beyond), revealing the people and the parts of the world that have mattered to me, and perhaps in some way, show who I am.

100 People, 100 Places: The Valentines Day Massacre

As it happens I found myself in Kabul on Valentine’s day.  Rahim Walizada had recently transformed a derelict spot into the Design Centre with his magic artistic touch.  In the middle of the capital this well-known Afghan designer had created a cool vibe at a place that served as both a venue for brunch and…
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100 People, 100 Places: The Worst Deal in the World

“Sometimes I ask myself if it was my destiny to be born in a country where I, a woman, am considered no better than an animal. Then I answer myself that it is our responsibility as women to change the situation. No one is responsible for our rights except us. This idea gave me the…
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100 People, 100 Places: In 200 Years

Things always look different from the ground. Mention Kabul and immediately people think of it being the most dangerous city in the world.  Many of us lived totally normal lives without any security, which is one of the reasons I decided to write Dispatches, to explore a time and place that is already disappearing. In…
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100 People, 100 Places: Being a Girl

This week Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which she shared with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist. Malala catapulted to global fame after being shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan two years ago, the result of campaigning for a female education. She is a…
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100 People, 100 Places: The Graveyard of Empires

I just listened to the very excellent Michael Semple, an Afghan expert, talking on the BBC about what the future holds for Afghanistan as its new administration tries to unite the country. As he says, Afghans have a very real war to fight, and the Taliban will be waiting to see how the government holds…
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100 People, 100 Places: Forget the Politics

These days there is a vibrant discussion about the usefulness of foreign aid and whether it does more harm than good. Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid seemed to start the conversation and it remains very relevant in terms of Afghanistan. What was clear throughout the NATO-ISAF years was there were many projects that were duplicated…
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