“John Stanmeyer spent much of the last decade documenting the political and social changes in Indonesia. He traveled to Afghanistan in 2001, returning five or six times.
‘This picture happened the day after the Taliban fled Kabul. I had followed the Northern Alliance progression down from Kunduz in the north. It was as if we were driving through the wrinkles of God’s hands. I felt so insignificant passing through those mountains. We arrived in Kabul and saw this breath of fresh air. It was suddenly a bunch of color walking around, such a contrast to the beige dirt everywhere in Afghanistan and the men all wearing those same beige outfits. The only color was that blue of the burka. Under the Taliban regime, there were no kites, no balloons, no music, no TVs. This picture signifies hope, life, celebration of humanness. Having colors, balloons, kites, and music was a monumental shift. Where did this man get the helium?’”
(This is the only photo that I felt looked remotely hopeful of the entire set. More photos are available at Reader’s Digest’s “The Longest War: Photos from Afghanistan”.)
