TRAVEL IN AN ENLIGHTENED KINGDOM
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 1933 to 1973. In 1959, he encouraged the schooling and emancipation of women and went on to ensure that a constitution inspired by that of the French Fifth Republic was adopted in 1964. During his reign, the country sought to open up to the outside world.
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 1933 to 1973. In 1959, he encouraged the schooling and emancipation of women and went on to ensure that a constitution inspired by that of the French Fifth Republic was adopted in 1964. During his reign, the country sought to open up to the outside world.
French photographer Paul Almásy, who died in 2003, had the opportunity to visit this nation that longed to leave its feudal system behind. Almásy was born in Budapest in 1906 to a Jewish father and an aristocratic mother. He visited every country in the world, except Mongolia. His career began in the 1930s and he covered the early days of the Second World War in Germany. Unlike most photojournalists of the time, Almásy was aware that the world was about more than just conflicts and violence, and that it was equally important to shine a light on social difficulties. In 1965, he published a detailed report about the lack of water on the planet long before such issues became central to the 21st century.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he spent a lot of time in Afghanistan, bringing back images that seem unreal to us now that the Taliban have retaken control of the country and proclaimed an Islamic emirate. He thus offers us a historical, documentary-like look at Afghanistan. It is a nostalgic view, without a doubt, but one that helps us better understand the country’s past and – let’s hope – presages its future, free from the clutches of obscurantism.
JARDIN DE L'AFF
Exhibition produced in collaboration with the akg-images agency.