Afghanistan in a new light

In the years following the 2001 US invasion and the overthrow of the Taliban regime, Rodrigo Abd spent months in Afghanistan and learned how to use a traditional Afghan box camera: a handmade camera and darkroom all in one. Abd returned in 2023 with an idea: to use this nearly extinct Afghan art form to document how life has changed in peacetime, for better or worse, two years after the withdrawal of US troops and the return of the Taliban to power.

Hakimeh, 55, is embraced by her daughter Fereshte, 17, while posing for a portrait in a carpet factory where they work in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Mother and daughter have been working together in this carpet workshop for a year. Before working in a carpet workshop, Hakimeh worked in the homes of rich people. Her husband is a laborer who works with a cart in the city. Fereshte has studied until the eighth grade, but after the schools are closed, she can no longer go to school and works to earn money and support her family.

Children that work in a brick factory helping their parents pose for the picture in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

Nikbakht, 70, works in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Nikbakht’s husband and three sons have died of illness. She has other five daughters who are married. She lives with one of her daughters.

Zulikha, 32, poses with her daughters Fatemeh, 12, right, and Manijeh, 15, while taking a break from her job in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Zulikha’ daughters can no longer go to school due to the closure of secondary schools. The girls said that working in the carpet factory its very hard but they have no choice and must work, because they can help their family.

A Taliban fighter stands guard in front of the Jama Masjid mosque also known as Great Mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Actor Nabi Atta, 74, poses por the picture in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Nabi has appeared in more than 76 films and 12 series. After the Taliban banned the cinema in the country, he is unemployed and facing severe economic problems.

Children play near Kart-e Sakhy cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Ibrahim ,30, poses for a picture with his daughters, from left to right, Arzo ,10, Okhkulah, 9, Rana, 8, Abobaker, 7, while taking a break from working in a brick factory in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. is a seasonal brick worker, he comes in summer like other thousand villagers to work in the brick factories and then goes back to Nangarhar where he lives the rest of the year.

Pigeons fly near Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023.

In the years following the 2001 US invasion and the overthrow of the Taliban regime, Rodrigo Abd spent months in Afghanistan learning to use a traditional Afghan box camera: a handmade camera and darkroom all in one. Abd returned in 2023 with a vision: to use this nearly extinct Afghan art form to document how life has changed in peacetime, for better or worse, two years after the withdrawal of US troops and the return of the Taliban to power.