Waiters and customers watch a news broadcast on the Tolo network at a shawarma restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 29, 2020. (Kiana Hayeri/The New York Times)
Can Afghanistan’s leading broadcaster survive the Taliban?
Over the past two decades, the Afghan broadcaster Tolo has been known for provocative programs such as “Burka Avenger,” in which an animated superheroine uses martial arts to vanquish villains trying to shut down a girls school.
Millions of Afghans have also tuned in to its racy Turkish soap operas, its popular “6 P.M. News” and the reality show “Afghan Star,” featuring female singers dancing energetically on Afghanistan’s version of “American Idol.”
Since the Taliban captured Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15, however, Tolo’s usual lineup is being supplemented by something else: educational programming about Islamic morality. Whether its menu of pop music and female television hosts will survive in the Taliban’s new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will be a barometer of the insurgents’ tolerance for dissenting views and values.
indianexpress.com
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