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KABUL (Afghanistan)
— Say what you will about the
freshly-ousted Taliban regime in Afghanistan; we've all heard how their
strict, totalitarian form of government forbade kite-flying, beard-cutting
and Arnold Schwarzenegger films. But one restriction will be sorely
missed by many four-footed Afghans: the prohibition of dog-fighting.
Mama Kharay is the ringmaster for the
games.
He had been imprisoned by the Taliban for violating
the dog fight ban, but now he's back in business.
(Photo: Jan 18, 2002, Enric Marti / AP)
As soon as the Taliban leadership was
quashed, Afghan men wasted no time in reinstating the old tradition of
Friday morning dogfights (I say "Afghan men", based on the
observation that at the last spectacle there was not a single woman
present amid some 500 spectators).
However, one important note must be made
regarding dog fights in Afghanistan. Unlike the Western tradition of
illegal dog-fighting, Afghan dogs do not fight to the death, and often
there is no bloodshed at all. These dog fights have been described
more like wrestling matches, where one dog is victorious after pinning its
opponent to the ground or frightening it out of the ring. In
addition, there is not (yet) any profitable motive, as the winner receives
nothing more than applause, and betting, while present, is not widespread.
Two dogs, "Palang" (left) and
"Shair" draw an enormous
crowd in the Kabul neighborhood of
Chamane Babrak.
(Photo: Jan 18, 2002, Enric
Marti / AP)
Here is one reluctant contestant,
just before entering
the ring.
(Photo: Jan 18, 2002, Enric Marti / AP)
...and after.
(Photo: Jan 18, 2002, Enric Marti / AP)
Under the Taliban government, sports
such as football, cricket and martial arts were encouraged in lieu of
dog fights and bird fights, but this crowd seems
to have a less-refined taste in sports. Of course, as with any
other major sporting events, vendors circulate through the audience
selling peanuts, raisins, cigarettes and chewing gum.
Most spectators say that they are only
casual observers who do not wager but merely stop by to see the
excitement. A Radio Free Europe correspondent who was
present at last week's fight quoted one Russian-speaking man: "We
come by here every Friday. There are people here who [gamble]
also. But we don't do that. We see the dog fights here so we
stop and watch them." (Click
here for the full report from RFE/RL.)
They're all waiting. The show must go on.
(Photo: Jan 18, 2002, Enric Marti / AP)
The dog fights, which begin at 10:00 each
Friday morning, generally consist of only about three or four matches and
last only an hour or so. Friday is a Muslim holy day, and spectators
must leave to attend noontime prayers.
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